


Ansatsu Daigaku: Sons of Moirai

by AzureDragoonGX



Series: Beyond the Classroom: The Assassination University Saga [3]
Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Canon Continuation, F/M, Fanfiction, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 114,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureDragoonGX/pseuds/AzureDragoonGX
Summary: Set one year after King's Gambit, the AssUniv community is once again put into turmoil.A new force known as The Lost-Wing Angels has filled in the large gap in the underworld that The Reclamation Society has left behind - maybe even broke more space for itself. Kato and the students are thrust back into the action - All of them this time, for the threat they now face are no mere Kingslayers - these could even be Godslayers.This might be the end of the Wise World as we know it, in spite of our beloved students' best efforts. But these assassins have shown everybody that they've never been more effective - meaning more dangerous - when there's so much behind them that they are willing to die for.Let's just hope they all can see eye to eye when they all realize just how much has gone wrong.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Original Character(s), Chiba Ryuunosuke/Hayami Rinka, Fuwa Yuzuki/Original Character(s), Irina Jelavić/Karasuma Tadaomi, Isogai Yuuma/Kataoka Megu, Kanzaki Yukiko/Sugino Tomohito, Kayano Kaede/Shiota Nagisa, Maehara Hiroto/Okano Hinata, Okuda Manami/Takebayashi Koutarou, Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s), Shiota Nagisa/Yukimura Akari, Yada Touka/Original Character(s)
Series: Beyond the Classroom: The Assassination University Saga [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1386340
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Rise Again Energy

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody! Stephen here! 
> 
> For those of you only following me on AO3, this sudden submission my come as a big surprise for the lot of you. I must confess that this wasn't a part of the writing plans until very recently.
> 
> If any of you also have DA accounts, you would know that Eclipse has been fully implemented into the website. And while some things might be better off with the UI change, some things are coming up short. This includes the literature submissions (can no longer edit old lit, very few formatting options, etc.). I know there are some workarounds published, but I personally see it that unless they patch things, there isn't a point to put more works there if it can easily be done so someplace else. 
> 
> So, AO3, AssUniv: Sons of Moirai will be coming to the red and white brand first, in a total swerve! I will be updating this every other week, unlike my usual weekly due to BnHALT also being updated at the same time. I think once the 2nd Arc has been finished (which is where I paused on DA), I might start beginning to upload more commonly for this one)
> 
> Let it be known too - this is probably going to be my favorite thing to write since the climax of AssUniv. No shade thrown to King's Gambit and BnHALT (which I both really enjoyed to write), but on one hand the first is a breather work to get my regular prose in check, and the other has only just started, so not too many stakes to go on. Sons of Moirai was made with a grand finale in mind. Mind my words when I say that, and realize that I might not leave anything on the table once I'm through. 
> 
> Those are my two cents! Hope y'all enjoy what I put down in the coming months!
> 
> \- Azure ;)

-Year 2024. One year has passed since the end of the Kingslayers and the foiling of the plot to unleash the HYM Virus across Geneva, which would’ve kick-started an apocalyptic scheme of absolute worldwide marination (hold on a minu-). Thankfully, the world could continue to rest easily, not knowing that a silent, yet potent force stood in this enemy’s way... And promptly used a third of their full power to stop the latter.-

-Okay, seriously, only two of the original twenty-nine AssClass members actually needed to get involved. That should’ve been a dead giveaway that The Kingslayers were so not the lethal adversary that could make our beloved students feel super-challenged once more!-

-But if a challenge is what these semi-retired assassins have been looking for during the past seven years... There is little doubt that this might be it.-

=Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo Metropolis, 7:30 P.M.=

Touka Yada, the twenty-eight year-old CFO of KAM, steps out from the main entrance to the headquarters building of the indisputable titan to the Japanese Arms industry, in her finest black and grey tieless from Hugo Boss. And she is joined by her practically immortal mainstay since becoming a Chief Officer.

“Very good work today, Nakanishi.” Yada complimented, turning back towards him while they basked in what little remained of the evening sun. “Your delivery of the neuro-acoustics anti-hijacking method to protect the privately-encoded firearms of our customers got all of the HR representatives pretty-much drooling where they sat.” She elaborated.

“Is that so?” Nakanishi acknowledged, loosening his necktie to release some pressure on his throat. “Honestly, I was so nervous throughout the entire ordeal, I couldn’t really tell; just too focused on not messing any of that up. Did I let that show, by the way?”

“If you really were shaken up, you flawlessly kept it under wraps like a true boss. Like any Executive Regional Manager would.” Yada added on.

“It’s only thanks to you that I’m that good. Those... Meet-ups we had at Harajuku District, as well as other miscellaneous tutoring sessions have worked wonders for my survival in this company, let alone my recent promotion. The least I could do to repay you was make good on your referral of me for the ERM title.” He expressed humility to those remarks.

“Mate mate, do those small business officers a favor and stop insulting them.” She laid her hand on his shoulder and stared him in the eyes; the same way she did when their professional relationship truly started, and when she reminded him how important knowing how to influence and compromise was to life.

Nakanishi realized this too, as all of his androgenic hairs spiked up much like before, and there was absolutely no way he could break his gaze now. Until she allowed him, that is.

“Everybody knows you belong where you are, through your own merits and wit. Millions of white, grey, purple, and red collars worldwide are dying to be in the same place; don’t make it sound anything less than the paradise they see it as, eh?” She suggested.

“O-of course.” He managed to blurt out. 

“Excellent.” Yada blinked slowly, releasing him from her possession. This was evident by him taking a silent, but sharp breath immediately afterward. “So then, I trust you’ll be able to handle the newest line of customers coming in from the Scandinavian Region? You won’t need to add much else from this conference for them; just some further reflection on riot-suppression potential; they’ve gotten a little more inquisitive on that subject.”

“Right. The Enrage Supplement Outbreak that had recently plagued the Baltic Sea. That would be very considerable to mention as I list out their needs.” He spoke aside before returning to look at his superior one more time this evening. “Thanks for the suggestion. Would you be overseeing that conference too?” He questioned.

“Might, might not. Depends on if Kazuhiro finally gets back to me regarding the Green Cap Deal at the United States Capitol.” She crossed her arms.

“The COO’s got a deal within the U.S. Army? Surprised it hasn’t been done years before.” He recalled and pondered.

“Oh it has; just not to this branch, nor of this scale.” She giggled for a moment. “I don’t know if he can do it alone.”

Not sure if he had the permission to do so, Nakanishi did his best not to snicker. “He would, mhm, surely appreciate your wise assistance, boss.” He admitted.

“I’d surely imagine.” Yada and Nakanishi then bowed to each other, beginning their parting for the day. “Be seeing you back here upon your return in two weeks.” She eposited.

“I’ll have it in the bag. Just a matter of time. And yeah, will gladly see you again after it’s done.” He nodded and waved goodbye, heading towards his car.

Yada beamed proudly at him before moving towards her own ride - the white-on-black Lykan Hypersport, of course. After another powerful ignition, she blasted out of the parking lot.

With the dark of night soon approaching, Yada drove at ten km/h above the limit towards her next destination... A nondescript taiyaki shop in Roppongi? Upon completing a flawless, uninterrupted parallel park, the CFO stepped out, rocking a classic pinstripe suit vest over her white business shirt, sleeves rolled up to just before her elbow, green hipster shades, and sporting a wavy black wig that favored the right side of her face. 

“Hey, Ide!” She greeted the foremost clerk upon entering the door. 

“Ah, if it isn’t Miss Ryuga. Let me guess on your order: two Custard and two Sweet-Potato Taiyaki, all topped with Neapolitan ice-cream?”

“You know me so well.” She confirmed in her own way, stepping forth through the aisle.

Four minutes later, Yada was back outside, enjoying at least two of the fish-shaped treats inside her Hypersport while donning all but the glasses portion of her new attire. Having had her fill, she then moves on, now heading towards a small, closed-door smoke shop named “Haze-On Compiler.” Briefly scoffing at the name, she finally went inside.

The only clerk was busy lighting up his recently wrapped-up Chinese herbal cigar, only stopping and putting it away when he noticed the disguised CFO walk in. “Hey there, pretty thing! Take a look around, or run a request by me if you got something in mind!” He began.

“Oh, I’ve got a request.” She adjusted her glasses as she approached. “The Centaur Caramel-Scented E-Cigarettes that shipped in last Saturday.”

The current storekeeper perked up at the statement in response. “My my. I suppose I should’ve guessed you were into that when you first stepped in. Surely a fashionista like you would know any ordinary haze doesn’t suit those colors.” He then pulled on a random key hook mounted to a close wall. A moment afterwards, locking bolts moving out of place could be heard from the metallic cellar doors in the deep section of the shop. “Go on down; just knock if you want out, or take another exit through the other stores and do the same thing.”

“Gotcha.” She nodded and opened up the door, going down two steps before pausing. “A word of advice too, Mr. Chinen.”

The clerk noticed her hesitation and focused up again.

“Don’t get high on your own supply, buddy.” She concluded, briefly flashing her sharpened irises at him above her glasses’ frames before continuing down the secret staircase. This left the clerk with considering his life choices; evident by him inspecting the herbal joint, again in his hand, a little more considerably.

When the CFO completed her descent and opened one more, unassuming service door, she was then treated to a medium-scale underground casino and lounge area.

“Good evening, miss.” The welcomer at the podium greeted. “Shall I reserve a spot for you at one of the gambling tables?” He suggested.

“Um...” Yada briefly scanned the area, before zeroing in on something. “That will not be necessary; I shall resign myself only to the lounge area.” She answered back.

“Very well, miss. Right this way.” He took a laminated pamphlet out from one section of the wooden stand and then moved towards the recreational quarters. When they got there, she accepted the menu and they went their separate ways.

For Yada, the trajectory was clear; someone surrounded by multiple men and a woman on the loungers. “Mr. Jomei Ando.” She identified.

The man presumably Ando, adorning a grey plaid suit complementing his hair, took a break from huffing his current cigarette to pay attention to the one calling him out. “Who’s naming?” He questioned.

“My apologies for my apprehensiveness. I’m Junko Ryuga.” She bowed.

“Great to know. What can I do for you?” Ando questioned further.

“I would like to hire your main service as advertised from your Luxurious Leniency private advertisements.” The disguised CFO responded.

“My apologies, madam, but that should only be on paper, and that only happens during operating hours. Might I suggest you visit one of our roughly-a-dozen offices across as many districts?” Ando reacted.

“The service is not for me, in point of fact; I am doing this as a proxy for a friend of mine. By the name of Maiko Araya.” She specified.

“Rather dutiful of you. But I only speak to my customers directly - not through their colleagues. The business is more personable that way.” Ando affirmed his stance. 

“Sure enough, because when she went to one of your dozen offices, they handed her a refusal document, with this line in microscopic print within your logo, and a secondary address matching a smoke shop. It looks to be this is where you meet said customers typically?” She questioned back.

“Well, she got me. So why isn’t she here now?” Ando inquired again.

“Because she’s working hard to keep her luxury car’s registration papers funded during most evenings.” “Ryuga” answered.

Ando looked at her straight in the eyes while thinking about the answer. “Well how about that. Devoted, surely. Very well; I’ll make an exception then.” He then snapped his fingers, prompting a nearby lady to slide a small packet of papers along the coffee table. “Put down all of the necessary information onto the dotted lines, and then have her show the text message we shall give on the mentioned cell number to the desk op at one of our offices, so that we’ll make it official.” He directed.

“Of course.” She clicked her own pen, taking the document and a minute to fill it out. After this, she handed it back to the woman. “There wouldn’t happen to be anything else that this process requires at this time? Up-front, for instance?” She implied.

Ando took a moment to look at the first-page’s specifications before answering. “No, there is not. Monetary amounts shall be negotiated during the finalization. So go on; give your friend the good news.” He advised.

“Why thank you. I hope you have a great night.” Yada bowed and then turned back towards the exit. She stumbled a bit on her six-inch elevation before disappearing through the door; something all of the employees noticed.

Yada returned to the Hypersport and then drove to a third-floor parking garage in Koto Ward. _Alright, the fine print inside the symbols of that document told me to come here. Can only hazard to guess what’s next from L.L. LLC..._ She thought before taking out her last taiyaki, whose ice cream had already been finished earlier. She only manages to take two bites, though, before the next situation begins.

Disturbing her from a third morsel was metal tapping on her car window. Said metal was a cylindrical barrel belonging to a Beretta 92.

“Get out of the car, missy.” One of the men who was surrounding Ando back at the underground casino commanded Yada, while the lady with the pistol aimed at her through the vehicle window.

Yada eventually complied, keeping her last treat in her mouth as she stepped outside. The woman got impatient and pulled her out and then just as quickly closed the door.

“Driving your friend’s car to this deal and then refusing to identify it to us, huh miss Ryuga?” The gunwoman reminded the CFO of the details.

“Thought it would convince you guys this was a legit deal if I drove the vehicle my acquaintance really wanted insured.” She responded.

“Fair enough, but this miss Araya would only agree to let you drive such a devilishly-hot ride...” A second man behind Yada approached and pulled off her black wig. “... If she is in fact the person she lets drive!” He deduced.

“We don’t like being lied to, missus. And it’s going to cost you your amazing car. Now you’ll really need to pay the premiums for your insurance, huh?” The first man stated, while gesturing to the others to begin commandeering the vehicle. The second man patted down Yada to claim the keys and tossed it to them.

“You really don’t want to be doing that right now, mates.” Yada advised.

“Oh, we’re aware. This Lykan Hypersport, we’ve been dying to lift for a good while now. And no doubt you’re so afraid of it being taken, you’ve definitely fitted some countermeasures. We know this. We also know how to get rid of them!” A third announced.

“Hmhmm, that remains to be seen.” Yada smugly smirked, crossing her hands slowly before the woman with a beretta still trained on her.

In the span of a couple tense minutes, though, the carjackers eventually got through said defenses without triggering any obvious alarms or failsafes, with each disengagement making Yada’s expression turn more and more serious.

“Last one!” A fourth announced, prying a transponder loose from the dashboard.

“Looks like the joke was always going to be on you.” The first spat back at her.

Yada’s left eyelid twitched for a moment.

“Alright, we’ll be seeing you again real soon, huh? With at least ten million yen.” The second who would be driver described the future. “L, be sure to keep her here at least until midnight.” He added on.

“Of course.” The lady confirmed.

But just as quickly as the vehicle revved up, the engine immediately died.

“What the?” The driver interjected.

“What happened?” The fourth asked.

“You know, gentlemen and lady...” Yada raised one extended index on her right hand, alerting all of them to her literal point to make. Her chest pocket had a small rectangular object - like a remote - fully slide into the cavity, having been put there by the closer of the crossed hands. “You all clearly did your homework coming into this, knowing that the car you were going to rob was going to automatically counter any devices not regionally considered from Lebanon. You also made sure to check for a circuit frier and a driver’s wheel bar-lock before you touched the finger groove sections on the handles. But seriously, did any of you ever think to make sure I was wearing the exact same shoes that I wore inside the underground casino where we met?” She asked.

Confused, they all looked down and saw Yada’s kicks; the latter turned one of her ankles slightly so that they could get a good view of the front and side. Immediately, the carjacker that served as a bouncer realized what she meant; Yada’s shoes had lost their wedged heels!

Wasting not another second, Yada pulled out the missing heels, chucking one at the only hoodlum on the other side of the car; the point of the weight hit him square on the forehead and knocked him down. This insanely quick motion stunned the rest, allowing Yada to rush the closest to her and claim the slide on his Beretta 92FS, ripping it off and claiming it for her own while rendering the firearm useless. With two blunt points in her hands (the second being her other wedge), she presses them both straight into the would-be gunwoman’s ribs, sending her flying across the level and with too much difficulty breathing upon landing. One of the men outside then seizes their toolbox to be used as a heavy weight to wildly swing horizontally at Yada. Unfortunately for him, she saw it coming a mile away and ducked right underneath; a quick raise of her detached heel in an uppercut-like motion to his chin blew out his candlelight.

The next two carjackers, brandishing tire irons, both tried to overhead swing at the CFO’s crown. Yada delayed one by front push-kicking the right’s chest away, while also using said motion to sidestep the left’s axelike swing. She lays her left palm on his own grip of the weapon, preventing him from raising it up on his own terms, and leaving his temple open to a forward elbow smash. The right man came charging back in, intending to actually strike this time, but meets nothing but more metal when Yada manipulates the left’s own iron movements. She ensures further compliance by punting the left’s jewels while blocking for the third time. After the fifth, she then pushes the iron to the side and then pulls it back, so that the bend of the tool hugged the left’s neck. Yada then threw the pistol slide into the right’s face, stunning him, and quickly flanked their exchange so that she was now behind the right and pulled him back, causing the head of the left to come down - perfect for a forced knee lift, caused by Yada knocking the right’s leg up.

The strike causes the left to also drop his own tire iron, which Yada takes into her left and then uses it as a polearm choke, trapping him for a modified double-knee backbreaker that will necessitate a visit to a licensed chiropractor. Yada rolled back up to her feet, seeing the car-cracker come out of the car, wielding his sharpest precision tool. He tries for the eye-gouging lunge, which was stopped by Yada ramming her dislodged shoe-heel into the striking forearm. Immediately, the driver retracted his arm, compressing the debilitated bone.

Yada then noticed that the one who was knocked over first behind the car was getting back to his feet, so she then finished her work with this current threat by pulling on his arm until she was behind him, where she then shoulder tackled his shoulder blade. The sudden strike while maintaining wrist control dislocated the humerus, prompting intense screaming from the cracker. Gaining his “full compliance,” Yada then took his good arm and performed a reverse ippon seoi nage, flipping the man over the Hypersport and crash-landing on his reeling colleague. With miraculous precision, the flying man’s sharpest point of the right knee crashed right on top of the straggler’s forehead, which turned the lights out on him before they even fell to the ground. 

With the tense situation over with, Yada calmly went to each and every one of the fallen, putting tight cable ties around the ankles and wrists of all but the one that was opposite her, and then linked them to the grounded metal piece belonging to the parking lot’s crash rails. As for the last one, she saw him begin his escape by crawling away, only to get his heel grabbed by her. No matter how much he wriggled, he couldn’t stop Yada from twisting the joint from a standing ankle lock, again causing screams.

With him no longer going anywhere, Yada then relieved him of his phone, though giving him the silver lining of unlocking it. His luck got a little better later on too, for after half a minute, she put the device close to his ear and mouth, while intensely staring at him. He could totally tell that the gaze told him to shut up and relax, or he might not get to do so ever again.

After two full rings, the line was established.

“Mishima. I take it you’ve got the ultracar?” Ando started up first.

Mishima took an aside, deep breath as Yada confirmed to him silently what she wanted him to do. “Yes, sir. I got the car. Takimoto’s with me, but is catching some Z’s right now.” He falsely affirmed. 

“Hm, I suppose I wouldn’t say no to enjoying that leather either. Remember to take it to the B-point, yes?” Ando reminded him.

“It’s on its way. See you then.” He acknowledged. 

“Good.” Ando then ended the conversation. 

Yada stood properly, while pulling Mishima up by his back collar so that they could still look face-to-face. She still didn’t need to say anything to tell him what she wanted.

“B-point is the parking garage underneath Kimi-Ni Uso Building plaza. Ando has an office on the first business level of the mall.” Mishima explained.

Yada tapped his nose, thanking him for the info, before violently bulldogging him face-first onto the ground, knocking him out. After joining him with the rest of his partners in crime, she got into her car and drove to the chosen destination, taking off her contacts during safe intervals of the travel path, while also fitting some familiar accessories.

Roughly forty minutes later, she had arrived. Going past the automatic gates, she stopped at one of the furthest spots from the entrance-exit. Yada then got a quick meditation in, psyching herself up for whatever was coming next. Not too long after, a tap on the shaded glass diverted her attention. She brought down the glass.

“Mishima. Any-” The criminal valet greeted, before realizing Mishima was not the driver. He would not get much else across his mind, however, when she delivered a left straight to his chin, and then pulled him into the car by his collar. From an outside perspective, the window swallowed the man hole and closed up, leaving no traces of him ever being there. 

Seconds later, Yada stepped out from the ultracar, stretching out her back and refitting her hair into the trademark ponytail. She shut the door, briefly showing the tape-bound and gagged valet, catching forced Z’s. _Alright, party time!_ She thought to herself, looking to the entrance into the plaza and putting on a logoless baseball cap.

The touring pamphlet just before the escalator into the mall revealed to her that the business elevators were situated on the North and South ends of the public areas, through a corridor that would only be regularly accessed by individuals meaning to enter there. After discreetly making her way to the South side, she walked into an Adidas clothing store, going into their shoe section before whipping out her scroll-out tablet, while also backhand-tossing another machine behind her. It was the Dragonfly-Bot, which quickly sprouted all of its limbs and other accessories mid-air and swiftly flew through the store and across the hall, until it pulled up and hugged the ceiling. This made it impossible to notice as it cut the corners and saw two sentries safeguarding the lifts. Yada wondered a bit about how she might be able to trick one of them into leaving their post, but then she saw one of the apparel employees lay down their plastic bottle of seltzer water. Her smile grew as a fascinating idea did the same in her mind.

After leaving the store, she passed by a convenience stand in the middle of the mall, which became one Mentos pack less in a literal heartbeat. Her shoes also briefly transformed into her KAM AtTac greaves, rendering it silent in the tiled hallways. She then pulled out the protective seal she had prepared on the top of the bottle, causing one white scotch mint to fall into the liquid, and just as quickly chucked it into the first corner, causing it to bounce into the second and into the view of the two guards. The succeedingly messy (but relatively harmless) detonation alerted them, with the closer of the two walking vigilantly to the public sector of the plaza. Despite his best scanning views, however, he could not discern a perpetrator connected to the disturbance, and so went back just an angry shrug back to his cohort.

A minute later, Yada came through, investing in her CFO persona to the maximum in order to fool both of the security. “Gentlemen.” She greeted them confidently. “Surely, that mess I just stepped through will be cleaned by the time I come back down?”

The duo nodded politely in response. They also got to witness her call for the elevator, and then hear her perfectly run through the private access methods, from showing the magnetic strip of a keycard to a laser followed by a private pin entry, before finally being able to choose her desired floor.

Yada fell back onto the far wall of the lift and sighed pleasantly. She then briefly recollected on how she came to acquire all the heads-up she needed to complement her routine...

_The investigative security guard was about ready to give up looking through the packs of shoppers and standalone idlers to find the culprit and return to his post. But upon turning back around, there Yada was! They both met face-to-face, where she then touched the big jewel of her necklace, causing a strong, direct strobe to target his eyes._

_“Gaze at this jade, fade into the charade, and sleep!” She commanded just before snapping her fingers right next to his left ear. Immediately strength left the guard’s legs and he began falling forward, prompting him to be caught in her embrace. Yada then brought her lips close to his other ear, permitting her further negotiation. “Here you are, making just over five million yen while everybody that passes you by and uses those lifts are making at least ten times more. And yes, all you have to do is stand for the most part, but you don’t even get the nice, exciting view of the liveliness and joy just two corners away. Not fair, is it?” She suggested._

_“No...” He muttered, clearly in the early stages of the sleep cycle._

_“I would advise you to find new work where your talents are best challenged. But in the meantime, I can grant you some personal payback on some of the snobs. All you have to do is give me all that is necessary to get to the higher floors.” She offered._

_“Keycard.” The sentinel’s left hand floated towards the matching back pocket on his slacks, pulling out the rectangular, plastic piece. “And my code... 4691.” He continued his response as Yada claimed the key._

_“Thank you. You didn’t see anyone of interest out there, and you’ll confirm as much to your friend.” Yada then turned him around and towards the corridor. “Now wake!” She directed, pushing back into a walking pace deeper into the private section. The man, none the wiser to the mental manipulation, merely yawned and blinked wildly to restore his focus, finding it once he found his colleague in turn._

Quickly enough, the fourth floor came, and Yada loosened herself up again for the next active situation. She followed the signs on the walls that led her to Luxurious Leniency, LLC’s main office room. A suit was there to welcome any walk-ins.

“Good evening, miss.” The concierge greeted her. “Your name and company?”

“Junko Ryuga. COO of Matsuura Schematic Systems, Inc.” She pulled out a business card from her purse and flicked it towards the right side of his head, surprising him long enough so that he could only focus on it after it had fallen to the ground.

“Wait, Matsuura company? Don’t you deal in aerospace design? And yet you want to deal with automotive insurance?” He questioned.

“That kind of conversation is really for your boss I’m afraid. So let me speak to him.” Yada politely refused his query.

After a second, the man shrugged and unlocked the door with his own keycard. “I suppose I’m just a bit paranoid. A company as reputable and profitable as Matsuura wanting to partner in some capacity with-” The officer doesn’t get to finish his pondrance, when he is immediately handgagged from behind by Yada, whose other hand holds a Shock-Pad disk that is shoved into his chest. His pained grunts are effectively muffled, and Yada supports him long enough to gently fall to the ground; as unintentional gratitude, his lower leg acted as a door stopper for the threshold he had just unlocked, allowing Yada to further progress.

Ando could be seen in his main office, actively working on his desktop, until he heard the distant knocking sounds on an offscreen door permitting only higher-level employees access. “Lida, be a gent and go see what that might be about.”

The man presumably named Lida left his post and went towards the door. Roughly three seconds later, however, he could be heard making a thud on the ground.

Immediately, Ando and a couple of other lingering employees at this late hour tensed up. Four more security guards pulled out their suppressed firearms and closed in to investigate. Five seconds of loud struggle commenced, but the only visible result afterwards was one of the many being sent flying into the far wall, while another was sent out the adjacent window.

Ando was now very worried, digging into his own desk for a personal sidearm - an integrally-suppressed Five-seveN. Moments later, he found out what he would be aiming at; Yada, clad fully in her KAM AtTac Mk. IV. 

Witnessing him in fear over seeing what would probably be how he sees a demon now, she gives a quick giggle and dares to reveal her face through the mask. “Very funny, Ando. ‘What?’ You may ask? The answer is - pretty much everything about you. The fact that you think you’re some perfectly self-made man, how flawless your negotiation for deals are, and how you really think that gun will work after KAM has known your Neuro-IP for so long.”

Ando’s eyes shrunk at that last statement, as he inspected the firearm and found that the trigger was completely frozen.

“That fear. The shock... I can see it is the summation of everybody’s feelings when your men burgled the hard-earned vehicles of the bottom ninety-nine.” Yada twisted the knife further, while continuing to approach his clear door and windows.

“St-stay back!” Ando held out two stopping hands.

Yada did stop, but not because of the fellow chief officer’s commands; a much more burly protector showed up, and stood in between her and his boss. Though they were roughly ten feet away at the time, she still had to look up a bit to fully accommodate the 6’9” man’s frame in her vision. “Well, ain’t you loyal...” She crossed her arms rather disappointingly.

The bouncer chuckled sinisterly for a little bit as he cracked his knuckles and his neck in anticipation for this contest. 

The CFO’s eyes made very miniscule movements, which neither the guard nor Ando could notice. “You just got off the dome when you heard the trouble, didn’t you?”

Now the guard gritted his teeth menacingly.

“Hey, I won’t judge; when you gotta go, you gotta go.” Yada shrugged satisfyingly.

“Enough talk.” The sentry commanded. 

“You did at least wash your hands... Right? You did that, didn’t you?” She looked aside uneasily and requested confirmation.

“It doesn’t matter; they will get really dirty again real soon.” He finally played along with the interrogation.

“You sure?” She asked.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“You really sure?” She further questioned.

“Yes!” 

“Absolutely sure?”

“Enough!” He demanded vehemently.

Yada pulled back her head condescendingly. “Alright, buddy. Take your best shot.” She announced, before disassembling her KAM AtTac suit and storing it back into her assorted accessories, levelling the playing field. She then got into her orthodox combatives stance, while he bounced into his brawling/slugger boxing stance.

=Ryu Ga Gotoku 5’s OST “Victory Road” plays.=

矢田 桃花VS豪華なレニエンシーズの警備員

Touka Yada; CFO of Kato Arms & Manufacturing

“You’re not going to see this coming!”

VS

Luxurious Leniency, LLC. Security Guard

Immediately, the imposing man charges in, with a loaded right haymaker in the cards. Despite seemingly knowing that such a mighty blow would send her flying across the room, she stood very still, not even covering up her head. 

That’s because she knew that it was not going to hit her at all. For when he broke the gap of five feet, the brute immediately fell over, face-first onto the ground. She did have to sidestep his dropped form, however, having underestimated his massive girth.

=OST stops.=

Yada snickered for a moment, holding out her open palm, so that the Dragonfly-Bot could land there. “Good boy, dropping some Stun-Net nodes while I was busy stalling.” She pet the top of its head, eliciting a reactive whistle from the robotic companion.

Ando’s mouth was absolutely agape by the sudden development.

“Seriously, those that have no patience for negotiation and prefer confrontation will receive misdirection instead. Especially when they cross me and KAM.” Yada remarked, as she summoned her InReTs to deactivate the Net and proceeded further, showing herself inside Ando’s personal office. “Thanks for the warm welcome, champ.”

“Okay, miss. I’m sorry. I should’ve considered the deal more!” He doubled back.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t anticipate your boys- oh, and girl following and attempting to ambush me after I left the casino with my large bag of cash in a cool car? Add in the fact that I’m a woman on my own, whose confidence seemed to have been stolen from someone else?” Yada spat at Ando. “Assumptions cost ya, Ando. And now you will be forced to pay.” She notices a small fridge on top of a small, horizontal filing cabinet and opens it to take out a Dom Perignon Andy Warhol Collection 2000 champagne. “At least you get to enjoy one sweet taste before the hard times. You see, I’m not made of stone.” She knife-scraped the bottle open and set it down on his main study.

Ando gazed at the alcohol for a moment, then back at his assailant.

“Well sit! And enjoy.” She insisted.

He sighed, reclaiming his leather rolling chair and taking the bottle by the body. “Like some yourself?” He asked. 

“I carry my own vice.” She pulled out a hand-sized bottle of Karuizawa Geisha 30 Year from her purse, pulling it in front of her from the Vacuum Carry backpack. “You can have a few drops of it, though.” She taps half a dozen drops of the whisky straight into the closure of the Dom Perignon bottle.

“Cheers.” Ando capitulated, clinking glass with his captor.

Roughly ten minutes later, Yada tossed Ando and his cronies into the front entrance to the Shinjuku Police Station, tossing the door-stopper of a very incriminating ledger at one nearby officer (who needed help staying standing upright from the book’s sheer weight by his neighboring colleague), and taking off as quickly as she came. When she passed a couple blocks, she conceded another grin that truly blew past her mostly consummately professional demeanor throughout this evening.

Her new destination turned out to be NTT Medical Center, visiting her younger brother Akihisa after a truly busy day.

 _Thank you so much, little bro, for that excellent lead in the small crime territory. Surely, you and I will rest easy to not hear any more stories of assaulted victims from car thefts._ Yada held her brother’s cheek endearingly.

 _I should be thanking you, sis. It feels so good to have been an enforcement consultant like this. I made a difference somehow, despite being stuck on this gurney._ Akihisa admitted. 

_You’re only going to be even more important to this world as time goes on. And I couldn’t be more glad._ Yada giggled.

 _Maybe true, but one little peeve about this arrangement is that I cannot be there to see the change really swing into motion. You wouldn’t happen to be able to speak of the details, can you?_ The patient suggested.

_Heheh, I’ll have to be sparing, but yeah, you ought to know how it happened. Let’s see..._

And so, the CFO got her younger sibling up to speed on the latest op.

 _Wow... You’ve gotten really good at this game, Touka. Went from petty crime-fighting vigilante to elite one-night gangbuster in just a couple years. Kicking their asses and their brains at the same time._ He complimented further.

 _Great to hear that you’re impressed, Aki._ She accepted the adulations.

 _If you were going to use lifts in a building you haven’t dealt with before, why didn’t you gain more info from that Mishima guy?_ Akihisa wondered.

 _Perhaps I should’ve asked further about the matter, but nothing made it clear that he was the one going up to meet with Ando, so there was no certainty he would know how to access that elevator. Plus, I guess I added a new challenge for myself in this otherwise routine dismantling of a small-time black market op._ She answered honestly.

 _Heh, that’s fair I suppose. Would a certain Chairman agree though?_ The patient suggested.

 _I’ll get to find out real soon; he’s supposedly coming sometime next week._ Yada informed.

 _Woah, seriously? That’s great, Touka!_ His smile grew ever larger.

 _You think so? Glad I’m not the only one._ The CFO showed further gratitude.

 _Surely he has some great stories to tell from his long departure, huh? Do relay that back to me too! Or or-, you could have him describe it to me personally. Either way works._ Akihisa requested his sister.

 _I’ll make sure he knows. Good talking to you, Aki._ Yada pats his shoulder, rising out of her chair and beginning her departure.

 _Good night, sis. Remember that you always have my support._ He waved.

 _Forever very grateful, brother._ She finally exited the room.

Yada, back in her Lykan Hypersport, drives into her loft complex’s garage, as a part of her route back home after a good, long day at work from KAM and other establishments. Clearing the multiple floors necessary, she then pulled out her key to unlock the door, but upon turning realizes that the lock was already disengaged. 

_What?_ She panics a bit, but then looks up on the top of the door sill, finding a wisteria pin. Understanding that this meant Kato was the intruder, she immediately returned her smile and opened the door to greet him. Of course, all she initially saw was darkness. _Kato?_ She fully stepped inside. _Where are you? Resting up? I wouldn't blame you; you don't have to remind me of that._ She acknowledged, continuing to scan her penthouse, noticing Kato's discarded Kimber Mk. III pistols and Microtech OTF knives. She then walked past one hallway threshold, and finally found Kato, who audibly took a sip from a rocks glass of Suntory whiskey. _Kato, what's with you, not claiming to hear me when I know you can? It's great to see you and all, but we don't have to play the ghost-person act anymore; everyone we want to know we're something already knows that well._ She argued.

Then the pivoting lounger turned around. 

Yada's eyes quickly widened, absolutely mortified at what she was witnessing.

 _Yada..._ Kato nervously, slowly gulped without taking another sip. His face and arms, which were his only visible layers of skin, were bloody and bruised.


	2. Energy from Nightmarish Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kato got himself into a huge heap of trouble, if his current situation and appearance was anything to go by. His wife Yada realizes that whatever's going on is actually something dangerous, but she will not let that separate herself from him. Love is all about conflict and overcoming it all, right? 
> 
> So what did Kazuhiko deal with during the time away from her?

“Yada...” Kato, still with blood all over his face, muttered to his wife. While he did have some noticeable bruises and some superficially open cuts, the crimson mask obviously didn’t belong to him. But perhaps because of that is why he has a thousand-yard stare. 

The CFO immediately approached him, pulling her other lounge chair close so that she could look him in the eyes. When he was exhibiting mild resistance to her gaze, Yada slowly pivoted her husband’s face back to meet hers again. This physical contact has her also feel his slight, but incessant trembling, so she floats her caressing hand towards his bluetooth earpiece after re-engaging sight. _Kato, please calm down._ She pleaded with him.

Kato took a deep breath and exhaled, lowering his pulse and regaining his confidence.

 _Do you need a shower too? Something to eat? You ought to feel better after those too._ Yada suggested. He nodded to the considerations.

He must’ve agreed, because a minute later, Kato was bare (excluding his watch and dog tags, of course) and inside his wife’s personal washroom, while she herself was stir-frying a large amount of buckwheat noodles with some sliced beef over a hot stove. The man allowed the handle’s many nozzles to rain down on him as he leans with one hand onto the wall connected to it. He wasn’t really concentrating on truly purifying himself of all the blood and stains of his last venture, however, given his still troubled expression. As if he was reminiscing on something. 

-Flashback...-

_All the way back in 1979, roughly sixteen years before Kazuhiko Kato would even be born, Kazuto Kato, twenty-three, was grooming himself to be the next one to lead the Kato Family of Yakuza, taking over from his aging father, Kazuo. With all of the skills and intelligence developed through years of personal training and education, all that the man needed was an experience that would give him a true look into the underworld - and gain the recognition of his peers to be. And in his eyes, he had the perfect way to do that...._

_Kazuto steps out from the Hano Kisetsu Nightclub in Roppongi, Tokyo, carrying a tight-handles duffel bag around each of his shoulders, only to unsling them into the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz T2 van. The make seems to be from the year 1972._

_“Kazuto, son.” A sixty-year-old Kazuo called out to his progeny, stepping out of the venue as well, albeit with the assistance of an eagle-headed cane._

_“You can’t sway me from this, father. You actually, literally cannot, given the nature of the operation.” Kazuto spoke back, slamming the trunk door shut before confronting his father._

_“I understand the seeking of all things fast and heavy when one is young, but you shouldn’t be so quick to sniff those sources of entertainment so quickly without looking into them all a little deeper.” The eldest advised._

_“What more do I need to investigate? It’s a war against enemies of the free world. A reaction to an oppressive enemy force. I know perfectly well I’m in the right; that’s all I need for knowing about a fight.” He responded._

_“It shouldn’t be. The right set of enemies is only half of what one must pick out for a decision to go to war. The right set of allies is the other side of the coin.”_

_“Dad, this insurgency in Thailand is literally bringing people across four of South Asia’s nations, and the United effing States, together to deal with it. Surely for such a conflict to align such disparate cultures together, they are good enough friends as any, yes?” He argued._

_Kazuo sighs. “You would think...”_

_Kazuto didn’t seem to hear him. “Again too, father, it’s not like I can say no; the U.S. is calling on their share of a U.N. favor. But that’s okay; I finally get the breadth of the world as you did. And earn your men’s admiration in the meantime. All by fighting the good fight. Isn’t that good?” He continued further._

_Kazuo took a heavy step forward with a stern stare, menacing his son momentarily. “Good, huh?” He repeated. “Whose decided this war’s good? You? Or the words of the draft, written by senile old men?” He inquired to his son._

_“D-does it matter if we both agree on the matter?” Kazuto mustered an answer._

_“Maybe not, when all of this is written down. In a documentary to educate kids, or as a prose to entertain light-readers. But if you cannot tell me that you’re doing this purely for the sake of the world you don’t know anything about, don’t for one second tell me you’re killing two birds with one stone in this combat scenario. It’s just your bird you gotta kill.”_

_This time, Kazuto’s tongue was tied._

_Finally, Kazuo calmed down, embracing his son. “I hate that I have to let you go to war, my son. And I do want to see the bright side of it all - you becoming a proper man. A proper Oyabun, that I would have no trouble leaving an inheritance to. And as abusive as it may sound, having you see the shit side of the world will help very well with that. I just don’t want you to think it’s anything else than just that - feeling one way or another for this life will lead to suffering in some capacity down the line.” He lets go of his son to meet him at eye level. “So do the job, as duty papers ordain, and come right back home.” Kazuo ordered._

_Kazuto looked down and pouted hard before exhaling and facing his father again. “You need to stop worrying about me eventually. I ain’t dying by anything as unceremonious and undignified as a gunshot._ ” He concluded, turning towards his vehicle of choice.

- _Kato!-_

The current Chairman, looking to his timekeeper, finds himself back in the present from the foreign interjection. _Yes?_

 _Hot meal’s ready, when you are._ She informed him from the other side of the bathroom.

 _Ah, yes; I can smell it. Be right out._ He informed, turning off the shower seconds later. Though the memories he was thinking over persisted in his mind, he repeated a brief, calming mantra to reliably stay in the present.

Minutes later, he was seated at the dining table, enjoying the meat bowl Yada had provided; she herself sat adjacent to him, attentive to his expressions.

 _Thanks. I needed this, Yada._ Kato told her after his latest bout of chewing.

 _Always available, Kato._ She affirmed to him from across the dining table.

The Chairman then prepared his next morsel, but set it down after a quick thought. _I shouldn’t have come here, though. I wasn’t right in the head at the moment; I didn’t think all of this through. I didn’t think of all the oncoming risks from being here. I have to leave._ He began to rise out of his chair.

But with impeccably twenty-twenty clairvoyance, Yada pulled her husband by the wrist back down into his spot. _Stay. You know that when you’re this rattled, the best place is right here. Whether this is merely an emotional trouble, or something more to that._ She asserted. _We’ll tackle this together. As a team._

 _I’m happy for it, Yada. But this is no paltry crisis like-_ He checked his watch for a moment. _Like the Kingslayer Crisis/HYM Hunt. I fear this is something much... Much worse. And for that reason-_ He was interrupted.

 _For that reason, you will need me. Don’t even think that this is too big for me, or your Blood-Siblings, or Naoko, when you also say it’s not for just you._ She argued back.

 _It’s not just that... It’s not your fight._ Kato added on.

 _Kato, with all due respect: Cut. The. Bullshit. Give me details already; tell me what we’re dealing with here. And no beige prose; don’t make me make you hand over more data analysis projects to my sector._ Yada refused to hear any of it. 

Kato looked down on the table for a moment, before sighing and returning a gaze at her. _Okay. If the queen truly insists, then the King can only provide._ He capitulated, before offering a high-five, even conceding a small smile that finally strikes a powerful chord in his wife’s expression. She accepts, and holds the clap; both of their contacts then confirm each other’s biometrics and begin a secure fileshare, acting as Kato’s timestamps for the recollection. _This all begins in the first unhindered operation I partook in after the Kingslayers were quelled._

 _That prisoner debacle on the island of Borneo?_ Yada identified.

_Yes. It was very routine; small-time foes with obsolete tech and menial combatical know-how. Their only advantage was superior knowledge of the correctional facility’s layout. But even that can be tipped into the Kato Alliance’s favor..._

_-One week earlier...-_

_-Borneo Max-Security Correctional Facility-_

_Roughly forty inmates in ragged, grimy scrubs lined the tall concrete and barbed-wire walls, with another eight surveying the compound’s surroundings from Cardinal watchtowers. All of them were packing heat of some sort, from Glock 17s and 1911s brandished by the less-imposing, to Mossberg shotguns for the ground forces, and scoped M4 carbines for the snipers. Clearly with this vanilla line of small arms, they were weapons that once belonged to the prison’s personnel, of which were employed as the final stopgate in preventing unruly individuals from leaving the facility. Now however, they served the inmates well as the first means of keeping unknown outsiders away._

_But as these prisoners have found, sometimes it may benefit them to keep a couple alive... Just so that they may die later. In front of some concerned eyes. That was what went through their heads after they subdued the latest batch of infiltrating paramilitary units. But that very definition raises an issue for them..._

_“[We keep expecting more trouble. But all we get every single time is a bunch of farmers and construction workers. What the fuck is this crap?]” One sentry questioned apprehensively._

_“[You really think our old people or the Bruneians will send their actual army to retake this asswipe of a federal prison? That’s the whole reason why we felt safe with keeping this place rather than running off the first chance we got!]” His colleague answered back_

_“[So if we did this because of no soldiers, why do we want soldiers now?]”_

_“[It’s not a matter of getting soldiers, it’s about getting important people! Ones that we can broadcast for the news and make them agree to a ransom. It could be soldiers, it could be lawyers, programmers, etcetera!]”_

_“[Ah, I see. But if they keep failing to retake this place with these non-army people, why aren’t they upgrading to, you know, army people? Not that I’m saying I’d want a lot of them on the doorstep...]”_

_“[This prison is technically on Indonesian soil. No doubt they’d lose their minds if they caught Malay soldiers on their grounds.]”_

_“[Hm, makes sense too. But where does that leave us?]”_

_“[God, you and all your questions. Though honestly, I’m not too sure about that either. We could just keep interrogating the latest batch for their real identities... Or for the shits.]”_

_“[Now that sounds like fun! Haha!]”_

_As they left the office, their fellow inmates outside continued to guard the correctional facility... Except for the two watching from the Southern watchtower. Those two were easily dispatched when they strolled too close to the railing, where Kato and Kazuhiro both jumped up really quickly and shoved a Shock-Pad palm onto their mouths, electrocuting them unconscious. The Western watchtower was similarly dealt with when Walsh and Dalsing handled the snipers there, through knockout fists and suppressed Shock-Out rounds respectively._

_This gave Miho and Satoshi free reign on the roofs of these keeps, followed by them pouncing down on the guards stationed at the lower wall battlements._

_(Woody, 9-10 range. Buzz, 10-11; Potato-Head 11-12, Rex 12-1, Slinky 1-2, and Bo 2-3) The woman reminded before beginning the countdown. (Three... Two... One.) Then, perfectly in sync, the KAM team fired targeted rounds at all visible inmates, incapacitating them all. Bo Peep even put down a few when she noticed sudden movements in between the barred windows._

_The rest of the infiltration went by just as flawlessly, with the prisoners none the wiser to all of KAM’s brutal tricks, until they finally came across the mess hall, where X-Ray faculty helped them realize that the paramilitary hostages were being held there. Kato pulled out his own version of the Dragonfly-Bot to slip through the ventilation shaft and gain some auditory intel on the situation._

_“[With the freezers inside clearing out now, it’s pretty cool to now fill it back up with these stunning collections of ears and fingers!]” One dastardly inmate celebrated while bringing one of the latter along to be preserved into said freezers._

_“[I won’t judge you for your fantasies, man, but if you think I’ll help you bring those things anywhere once you take off from this Hellhole, you’re a fucking idiot.]” His peer snarked._

_-”Wait wait wait, Kato!”-_

_Hmm?_ Kato attentively stared back at Yada, who was moderately horrified.

 _Let’s just say I could make do without knowing that your latest conquerings collect fingers?_ Yada then smiled worriedly. 

_Right. Let me speed up, then..._ Kato began reminiscing further.

- _Back into flashback...-_

_Kato and company proceeded to cut off the power to the mess hall, causing the entire place to become pitch black. By the time two of the inmates turned on their torches, the KAM team had already Mute-Charged into the area, and showed up in view of the light beams in the most predatory way possible._

_Needless to say, moments later every single hostile prisoner was on the concrete; evident when the lights system rebooted and everyone conscious could see again._

_“[Who are you people?]”_

_“[Concerned samaritans. More concerned about you than most of your government is.]” Kazuhiro answered back to them in their own language._

_“Include the mole.” Kazuhiko whispered into his older cousin’s ear._

_Kazuhiro nodded confirmingly to his doting relative. “[Do note I said most. One among you is named Mohd, and you gave one of our offices the anonymous tip about this situation.]”_

_“[That would be me.]” One of the men rose up from the seated pack. “[Thanks for jumping at the call. I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t.]”_

_“[Well I’ll be.]” Kazuhiro approached him to offer a Roman handshake, which Mohd accepted. “[We should be thanking you, mate. The world needs many more people like you in it; let’s discuss the possibility of future partnerships, eh?]” Kazuhiro pulled him over for a more-private conversation._

_Satoshi now stepped in as the Malay mediator. “[The rest of you do not need to panic; we shall give you all a free ride back to Malaysia; we trust you all can find your own ways home from there.]” He assured them, which drew positive murmurs from the crowd._

_(Now Bo, take the camera center and be our lookout. Potato-Head, continue to mediate the hostages until extraction. Slinky and Rex, patrol and ensure there’s no other aggressive inmates roaming around.) Kato as Woody ordered._

_(Yes, boss!) They all more or less communicated back. After a salute, they all went their separate ways in the complex, with Kato heading towards the Warden’s office to investigate the uprising further, and confirm if there was an inside man on the job or not. There was a man still inside, attempting to ambush Kato with a shiv from right behind the door, but he was quickly dispatched with a high-angle heel kick to the man’s front shin, causing him to trip up ahead of Kato. The Chairman then rolled over his back while catching his legs to put him into an Inverted Alabama Slam position upon standing back up, and then bending forward, causing the poor inmate to eat the reinforced window (which nevertheless cracked from the impact)._

_Now free to go about his business, Kato took a seat in the rolling study chair, looking at the walls and ceiling for a moment before exploring the computer and many drawers. While awaiting the Hammer-Chisel algorithm to break through any security systems and terminate malware on the desktop, the Chairman happened upon the Warden’s personal logs. He pulled out the latest volume based on date and flipped to the last pages. For the most part, it was ordinary detention stories, such as lashing unruly prisoners, watching mess hall fights, and some romantic confessions of the prison guard leader for some woman named Ashraf._

_But then the first unwritten page caught his attention._

_(The last ink-laden page’s imprints do not match the next page at all. Somebody has hidden a message on this one.) Kato deduced as he rose up to pull out his VITaL device, slamming it down on the ground. When the holographic lights shone brightest, Kato held the journal upside down. A scanning animation followed, signaling completion with a double-beeping sound. After this, Kato set the book down and manipulated the image to face him. (Encrypted with an Ottondorf Cipher.)_

_-An Ottondorf Cipher?-_

_Yes._ Kato grinned when he knew what his wife meant by her interruption.

 _So vanilla!_ She giggled. _They at least rearranged the order of numerics, yes?_

 _Indeed. But it is only the beginning..._ Kato acknowledged, before continuing.

- _Back to flashback...-_

_Figuring out that the order was line number, letter number, page number, then divider number, Kato reclaimed the journal and began sifting through it to decipher the hidden message. Minutes later, it was in view. In the form of a multiple paragraphs of letters combined with numeric words, save for the first word “white” and the last two words of every paragraph, which were just purely positive numerals._

_(Very informative message. Hmph, so the person writing this combined an Ottondorf with another encryption. Looks a lot like chess positions... Except last I’ve ever seen, there isn’t an E22 on any internationally-recognized board. Hm, 1 to 25... There is one strategy-based game that can hold this many lines when they must... Go.)_

_-I gathered my teammates, dropped off the hostages back home, and returned to Japan, intent on giving all of this puzzle my utmost concentration.-_

_Having dotted a fittingly-sized grid with all of the identified spots, Kato now saw that he would have to make the optimal next move for white for each pre-arranged board, with each letter of the letter-number combination being a piece of the true message. Thus, for the next two days, Kato solved each of the dozens of Go puzzles, which naturally ascended in difficulty. Then, after providing spaces where it mattered, the decoding was revealed:_

_“You were never Kazuto’s best kept secret. Not by a longshot.”_

_(What the...?) Kato’s eyes widened, looking away and bringing his hand to his chin, deep in thought. (Somebody knew that at least I would attack this place. But who?) He frantically wondered. (And something my father kept much more under wraps than my existence... Whatever could that be?) He further cogitated, before reclaiming all items of interest and leaving his VIP platform in Nyurifu Rikkyo Nightclub, heading out for the Metropolis._

_Kato stepped into the main office of KAM’s Tokyo building, where he found Norio typing diligently at his main study._

_“Ah, nephew. I take it the Borneo mission went well?” He greeted him._

_“Of course it did, uncle.” Kato answered initially before sitting down across the hardwood from him. “Little doubt when you’re up against a bunch of scarcely-trained hoodlums.” He added on._

_“Heh. Yeah, I guess so.” Norio then refocused. “So, to what do I owe this honor?”_

_“There was more to the sacking of that correctional facility than just the obvious forces involved. I wanted to make sure the prison guards weren’t also involved - and it didn’t seem like so. But in between my quick investigation on that, I happened upon something else.”_

_“May I ask what?” Norio concentrated deeper._

_“At once.” Kato confirmed, where he then pulls out a small notebook and slides it across the table for him to look at._

_Norio takes the wired pad and reads the message. Immediately, his eyes widened._

_“Uncle? Do you know what this person is talking about?” Kato asked._

_Norio shook his head slowly at the paper, allegedly more out of disbelief at the revelation than refusal of the query._

_“Uncle, did your brother do anything major for the Family as Oyabun-” Kato checked his watch, interrupting himself for the moment. “Prior to encountering Aiko? Something besides Kato Arms?” He pried further._

_The older Kato eventually sighed, setting down the notebook again. “Nephew, even if I had told you all that I knew about this occasion, you would still find my answers wanting. So instead of telling you, I should instead let you see it for yourself.” Norio relented, while writing into a free section of the notebook’s last page. “Go there. And you will find proper answers.”_

_Kato reclaimed the papers, taking a quick glance at the given coordinates. “Would you have told me what this was if you knew the end was close?” He asked._

_Norio snickered lightly. “I reckon I’d do what you often do, nephew. To the end.”_

_“Thank you.” Kato rose back up and headed off, knowing now what the stakes were in that last statement._

_-The coordinates were to take me to two different locations - both in Thailand; the same place where Kazuto took part in the U.S. effort to quell the Communist Insurgency of the sixties into the eighties. The top-written numbers brought Kato to an overtaken oil rig, which had since been, eh, repurposed for a drug den combined with a trafficking ring, which also meant it wasn’t much harm done to dispense some right against this wrong in the meantime.-_

_One thug is sent flying through some auditorium doors, alerting more of the same outfit from the other side._

_“What the-?”_

_A pack of them look past the threshold, noticing Kato standing against another six or so, which would soon be joined by another five._

_“This guy is a monster!” One horrified hoodlum described._

_“How is he taking us all on?” Another expressed his similar disbelief._

_“What on Earth is going on?” One of the new arrivals demanded to know._

_“This guy just torpedoed onto our docks, sir! And since then he has been laying waste to all of our props!” The first informed._

_“You cannot imagine how many cheating hands I saw on all of your dealers, ZhaoFa blokes. But that’s hardly the most illegal thing going on here. Cannot help but sense the resonant soundwaves of many crying ladies down below too.” Kato, with his voice distorted, proclaimed menacingly to the lot of them._

_“Come on, everybody! Waste this sucker!” Another of the reinforcements rallied, with them all taking any improvised weapons they could find to prepare for the next confrontation._

_But within a minute it was all for moot, as Kato remained completely unscathed while all of them decorated the walls, tables, and floor with their unconscious bodies._

_Then the big guy showed up, kicking through another set of auditorium doors to meet with Kato, cracked knuckles and rolling shoulders aplenty._

_“Got no time for you, I’m afraid.” Kato spoke as he pulled out one of his Shock-Out Kimber pistols and kneecapped the man before completing the triple tap with one to the forehead. And so ended their destined encounter._

_-Kato...-_

_Don’t try to fool me when by saying you stayed in KAM AtTac mode the entire time against such a foe. Because that’s so not you._ Yada pulled back smugly.

 _Okay, okay - that was a joke. Here’s how that really went down..._ Kato capitulated.

- _Returning to flashback...-_

_“Never had to deal with a guy so big and so juiced like you. This ought to be fun.” Kato acknowledged, gearing his fingers together and stretching them out before him. Due to the man’s roid-filled rage, however, there was no time for any further gentlemanly fighting virtues, and so combat commenced._

_=Hokuto Ga Gotoku’s OST “SOUTHER” plays.=_

加藤和彦VS大規模な男

Kazuhiko Kato; Chairman of the Kato Alliance

“You’re in the way, good sir...”

VS

Massive Man

_Kato bobbed his head right out of the way of the brute’s loaded right straight, allowing him to pass by cleanly. They both turned back to each other to truly begin the contest. Kato decides on his God Hand style to start things off._

_The Chairman taking the lead through a couple of low roundhouse kicks to attempt to chop down the larger man early. All shin strikes are no-sold however, as the latter then loads a right hook to meet with Kato’s left cranium. Kato sees it coming miles away, and ducks underneath, using a Dempsey Roll motion to load up a left haymaker to the brute’s cheek. Despite putting all of his weight behind that punch though, his target was barely budging._

_The larger man now tried for his left, and seeing Kato once more go underneath his arm, he immediately swung it back with a backfist. Kato continued his Dempsey Roll to juke underneath both strikes and countered upon conclusion with a left arcing kidney blow, breaking the thug’s defense in time for a right uppercut to his chin. This time, his opponent finally took a step back in a painful reaction._

_Thinking to recoup his losses and offer some payback, the man immediately goes back into the fray, charging up a double axe handle. Not waiting for the hammer to come down, Kato beats him to the punch with a rising back elbow from the same uppercutting arm, meeting the lower jaw once more and staggering the man. Done flinching, the man then takes Kato’s head into his hands to measure up for a large headbutt. Kato immediately sandbagged in response, dropping his frame down low and making the brute lose grip strength, and allowing the former to easily escape and slide in between the legs, ending up behind him._

_A couple of horizontal elbow smashes dig deep into the larger foe’s back, drawing many gritted teeth from the latter as he turns back around, blocking the latest oncoming joint strike with a perpendicular block. Fully stopping the attack dead, he pushes back on Kato, creating enough of a gap to bring up his humongous leg for a big boot that is aimed to land on the Chairman’s face. The latter easily sidesteps the lift-up and keeps it raised high, just so its kneecap can be elbow smashed back down. Like a teeter-totter, bringing the lower limb back down caused the man to bow forward involuntarily, which Kato exploited to great effect by bowing first and twisting to his left, so that his left arm in a pointed elbow position had extra momentum for a reverse back elbow swing. The sharpest part of his humerus makes a flawless impact on the thug’s forehead._

_Upon returning to stance, Kato switched to B-Boy style and barrel-rolls into a reverse drop toehold (heel kicking down on the popliteal rather than using the shin). However, not enough damage has been done on his foe, and so the legs refused to give. After the thug managed to recover from the past trauma, he then noticed the lying Kato and put all of his weight on the legs crossed with his, trapping Kato long enough to be caught in the full mount._

_The larger opponent again tries for the double axe handle smash, but Kato perfectly lands a double knee smash to the small of his back, causing the former to lose all accuracy of his shot and landing his forearms above Kato’s head. The Chairman then took his foe’s bowed head into a three-quarters headlock and bridged, literally flipping the table into Kato’s favor, who quickly gets back up to his feet and jumps in with a double-foot stomp right onto the thug’s chest. When he sits back up in reaction, Kato immediately penalty kicks him back down supine. He then follows it up with a shooting star knee drop onto the torso._

_Still refusing to slow down the action, Kato then claims the close wrist and rolls over the thug, causing the man to turn with his taken arm, rendering him prone. Kato gives his face a quick snap kick and then places his hand flat on the ground in such a way that the elbow was pointed up. A quick stomp onto that joint causes extreme hyperextending pain to the larger foe’s fingers, shoulder, and ulnar ligament, causing him to posture up. Kato anticipated this, swinging low to load up a vicious spinning hook kick that lands flush on his cheek._

_Done being toyed around with, he immediately rises back up, blocking a high-angle roundhouse kick with a boxing cover-up. Kato bounced back into stance and switched for an opposite leg downwards roundhouse kick, which was X-blocked. Following this, the thug pushed Kato’s leg back to him, making the Chairman stumble in time for a spinebuster lift and charge into the far wall. Though Kato managed to bring both of his soles behind his torso, it only mitigated some of the impact of being slammed into the side, and the added pressure of his opponent’s shoulders on his ribcage did not help matters._

_The thug then took Kato by the throat, keeping him in place on the wall, while taking a steel-reinforced mahjong box from the ground, letting go of both of Kato’s legs in the process. He loads it up close to his shoulder with the intent to ram it into the Chairman, but loses the chance when the latter boots it aside with his left foot; even using it as a bounce point for a roundhouse with the same leg making a new mark on the thug’s face. Since he wasn’t given any breathing room during this latest exchange, Kato delivers the same in kind, retaining control of his choking hand and twisting it over for the short-arm transition into the standing high knee to the temple._

_Kato then switches to Tumbler style and dives in for a double-leg takedown of his own. His version, however, includes hoisting him fully up onto one of his shoulders (rather than partially supporting him by the legs when it was the other way around). At the very height of this press, the Chairman just as quickly slammed him back down onto the hard metal floor nape-first, having him crash into some steel folding chairs along the way that were awkwardly placed due to the scuffling of their earlier conflict._

_Still leaving the thug with no time to breathe, Kato then claimed his still-raised legs and Giant Swung him so that his temple slammed right into a reinforced pillar. Not having let go of the right ankle, Kato turns his supine body around to form the kneeling ankle lock, hoping to quickly jolt the joint out of place. His opponent was able to resist long enough to claim a roulette spinner within reach and toss it back towards Kato, hitting him square in the forehead and breaking the submission hold._

_Through his head-rubbing, the Chairman sees a wild left haymaker coming his way and catches the wrist while ducking underneath, using the continuing movements to end up behind him and form the single chickenwing with the grabbed arm, while shifting his weight towards the free-arm side and locking his other arm across his foe’s throat and interlocking hands - a hammerlock crossface. Though applied for at least four seconds with the intent to collapse on top of him to add more leverage, Kato had to relinquish the hold when his opponent twisted his shoulders fast enough to rip Kato’s grip of limb and larynx._

_Kato switched to Trickster Style while spinning out and rolling onto the ground to swiftly grab a lone, tapered fan-tan gamestick from the ground. He parries the thug’s charging right downward so that the man bowed straight into his forehand swing with the improvised weapon, creating a nigh-perfect reddened strip across the latter’s face. Undeterred, the man continued his spree of reckless swings, only to continue being punished with whipping reprisals, with Kato working his way down, landing hits on the chin, neck, chest, shoulder blades, and then waist._

_When the stick snapped from repeated impacts, Kato then discarded it in favor of a Chinese dominoes box. He first used it as a protective paperweight to block an errant kick to his midsection and countered with a battering ram to the plexus. Kato then pushed away yet another hook, exposing the thug’s face to the inside of the dominoes box when it flips open and pinches on the head. Kato then brought him fully to the ground with a Lou Thesz press, automatically bringing him to the full mount and delivering some more downwards elbow swings onto the hardcover box, enhancing the impact._

_Whether the substances began wearing off or something finally hit home how much pain the guy should be in, the thug’s struggling began waning and waning, unable to overpower the constant pummeling. Kato volunteered to stop, standing out of the mount and pulling his foe up to his staggering feet. Kato gave him the pleasure of witnessing his Risen Samurai style, if only for one move, as well; said move being a four-hit tatsumaki senpuu-kyaku, with a combined psi just short of taking his head off._

_=OST ends.=_

_Kato sighed, before taking a bottle of water out of a sideways fridge, opening it up and dousing his downed foe’s face, before proceeding further with his mission. This included freeing and inoculating a whole bunch of addled, scared girls from dank chambers (and resisting the isolated attempts at savior romance for some of them)._

_“Who the Hell do you thi-”_

_Those were all the words, full or otherwise, that the alleged Casino King managed to utter before being tased by a Shock-Out round from Kato’s Kimber. Now without anything else in the way, Kato could deal with what he came here for. He knew exactly where to look, too, not even using any of his goggles’ vision faculty to assist him - pulling the bottom drawers of the main study out from the frame, allowing them to fall onto the floor. Directly underneath them were two parchments, which alternated letters to form the next message, reading:_

_“Memories are like sins - People can carry them on their backs with whatever set of emotions that they want. But where would Kazuto go with that bleeding heart of his?”_

_(Hmph. It’s almost like they want me to go to the second location.) Kato then squinted his eyes. (Or maybe that’s absolutely the case. But how could they know...?) The Chairman crumpled the original papers and went on his way._

_-And so I went to the next location on my uncle’s list, which turned out to be a... Textile factory?-_

_(Well, it has been,) Kato checked his watch. (At least forty years since this place was a refugee camp; a lot of things must’ve changed. But the oxidation factor for the notes left to me at the previous site were only a year old, so this mysterious contact knew this facility was here. Which means the next clue, or them, is here.) Kato asserted, moving towards the edifice. (This place shouldn’t be much harder to break in as all the others. Just how should I go about it, though? Rooftop? Far window? Follow through with an employee coming from the outside? Or, or-) He continued cogitating._

_“Ex-cuse ah-me, sirr.”_

_Kato turned to the source of the foreign-accent of Japanese coming his way, which turned out to be an elder street performer. “Hello sir. So you must be the source of my next clue, huh?”_

_“Um, sir, what did you speak?” He requested confirmation._

_“You knew I spoke this language. Someone told you I was coming. Who?” He questioned._

_“I know not, sir. He just tell me another like you would show here one day. And I know who, because why anyone like you come?” He answered back._

_“Totally fair. Did he leave anything for me?” Kato persisted with the interrogation._

_“This.” The busker takes a folded note out of his pocket, handing it to the CEO._

_-Storage Room.-_

_“Thanks.” Kato tossed him a roll of 1,000 baht notes as compensation. “Don’t spend it all in one place, champ.” He advised before continuing his way towards the factory._

_Opting for the rooftop entry into the facility, Kato ripped a schematic of the building from off the velcro of a wall (which one seemingly-new employee noticed when it wasn’t there the next time he walked through its corridor). The storage room in question turned out to be directly one floor up, so Kato clung to the ceilings towards the staircase and didn’t touch any sort of ground until he was directly in front of the final door. Taking a big sigh before placing his hand on the lever knob, he made sure that there were no countermeasures fixed on the threshold before moving past it. Closing it behind him and locking all available mechanisms from the outside, he peered across each corridor of supplies within the large room, hoping to see something out of place, or rather..._

_“I know it’s you, outsider.” A foreign voice called out, also in Japanese._

_“Because you made sure the workers who needed products from this room got it at the start of today?” The Chairman requested confirmation._

_“Or maybe I extorted the intercom guy to say all the supplies they’d need would be in a storage room two floors down? Or maybe I sent a mass email across their messaging server that there would be renovations done on this floor to stay out? Or maybe I only arm the magnetic locks when I know anyone but you is coming in? The possibilities are virtually endless, aren’t they?” The alleged clue-giver threw out his own suggestions._

_“One of them has to be true. But I guess that doesn’t matter now.” Kato attempted to handwave it aside._

_“That’s up to you to decide. But I think you’re wrong about that.” He argued back._

_“Care to elucidate?” He questioned._

_“I can see you, brewing up dozens of backup plans in your highly-calculative brain. You think you have a good reaction for all possible counterattacks. Heheh... I bet you never considered that one plan is all it takes, and what mattered is how quickly and strongly you can pull it off.” The man again postulated._

_“I’m a pretty quick guy with all of those plans myself. Try me.”_

_“Sometimes slow and steady makes it work too. That’s why I made you take a year, tackling a bunch of our handiwork before finally confronting me.”_

_“So all of this past,” Kato checked his watch. “Year was just one large cram study of me?” He finished._

_“You could say that. Don’t sell yourself short, though; I reckon you have more than a decent idea of what I and my compatriots go for.”_

_“I’m probably not the guy you’d be after if I didn’t.”_

_“Heheh. Very true.”_

_“So, what’s the point of your slow game now? Stalling for sabotage?”_

_“Not this time.”_

_“Psyching me out with crazy dialogue?”_

_“Not yet.”_

_“Hmm... Making me notice a pattern?”_

_“Bingo.”_

_“Something does feel familiar about all of this.”_

_“And what might that be?”_

_“Like I faced this kind of conversation before.”_

_“And who with?”_

_“And... With-” Kato’s eyes then flickered._

_-And... Who is he?-_

“...” Kato remained silent again.

 _Kato... I’m going to help you one way or another. But how well that works out hinges on what you tell me now. This cannot be just a whole bunch of hints._ Yada informed him. 

_Can’t it?_ Kato argued.

_Now what do you mean?_

_Yada, I told you the truth,_ The CEO checked his watch. _Seven years, two months, and five days ago when we were traveling around Kyoto in search of a gift for Akihisa that I knew little of the dynamics of siblinghood due to being an only child._ He continued on. 

The CFO’s expression turned from insistent to deadly serious from the coming revelation.

The Chairman then looked straight into his wife’s eyes. _I will need to retroactively add, “as far as I knew.”_ He finished.

“Oh dear...” Yada broke the silence.


	3. Energy For The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new threat has been alluded to, and it's time all of the major players got up to speed on it. But this enemy proceeds to show Kato and Yada just how dangerous they can be to the group by beating them to the punch on another end of the battle...

Midnight had struck soon after Kato was finished resting up from the gruesome trauma that brought him back to his wife Yada. After finishing his meal and getting just a little more rest, Kato prepared himself again to head out, donning a dark-brown British-style leather jacket, rolled-to-elbow green-plaid button shirt, fingerless tactical gloves, his best G-Shock metallic silver analog, stonewash cargo moto pants, and black canvas shoes. Yada naturally accompanied him, clad in her own active streetwear that consisted of a black blazer with silver lapel outlines over a white V-neck tee with a black serpent graphic coiling across its circumference, complementing dark-steel leather leggings. Knee-length russet knight-style boots completed the look (but her accessories from the Kingslayer Crisis undoubtedly enhanced it).

Kato took the wheel of the Hypersport this time, blasting it out of Yada’s garage much like he has every time she had been the passenger for one of his zany drives. There is more than a sneaking suspicion, however, that the one truly in for any sort of ride was Kato himself, given his distracted staring at the road...

-Flashback...-

_ “GO GO GO!”  _

_ Immediately, Kazuto and another five soldiers blitzed through a doorway to take a strategic location in a small business building, as a part of the conflict in Thailand. A small pack of C4 takes out one of his comrades when he attempts to clear the next room, and the explosive force knocks another close one down, leaving him vulnerable to a lead fragging, though Kazuto is quick to pay the shooter back with some long-gun ballistics of his own.  _

_ When the remnants and their leading officers escalate to the next floor, gas grenades are employed to obscure their vision. While they train their aim at face-level hoping to make out their foes, the insurgents then roll fragmentation grenades along the ground to detonate underneath them. Such was the fate of two leading the charge, in which Kazuto would’ve been next if he didn’t throw himself through a business window into another room... Another room that housed two of the demomen. _

_ Instinctively, Kato gets up, switch-tapping both of them with his M16. Two taps took out one of the insurgents, but jammed up with an incompatible Vietnamese round before he could do the same with the other. Seeing them float their hand towards their sidearm, Kazuto throws his rifle aside and shoulder checks the man into the far wall. But what the other soldier was going for wasn’t another gun, but another pineapple - and one quick look showed it didn’t have a pin. Kazuto forcibly turned him around and kicked him down so that his back landed on top of the active explosive and then jumped back outside, escaping the reduced blast radius. _

_ Later on, Kazuto takes point in investigating some narrow corridors between two tall buildings. An air assassin with a K-Bar knife drops down, stomping the weapon out of his grasp and pushes him up against one wall, trying to slit his throat. Thankfully, Kazuto is able to resist the ambush until his closest colleague takes aim with an M1911A1 and caps the attacker’s temple. Kazuto was clearly shaken by another close call, but all his comrades can tell him is to psyche back up and reclaim his arms for the mission. _

_ Kazuto joins a new regiment to conduct special reconnaissance following a carpet bombing of a small settlement in the highlands region of the country, ensuring that the threat they called the strike for had been snuffed out and eliminated. And it has... Along with a bunch of innocents, refusing to leave their ancestral homes or artifacts of faith. Kazuto just couldn’t help but take a moment to bite his lower lip and look down when he notices two burning skeletons embracing each other in the corner of one charred house. But still, there was no crying; there’s a job to do. Doing right. Doing good. Doing it well. Doing it, no questions asked. _

- _ Don’t crash. _ -

Kato found himself in the present once more, having driven to a halt at a red light thanks to precise second-nature.  _ You never had to worry about that before. _ He remarked.

_ If you’re right, Kato, and you often are, then everything’s very much up in the air this time around. So I’d like to minimize all of the unnecessary risks. _ She defended her stance.

_ Hm... Fair enough. _ He admitted, continuing to concentrate on the drive. 

Despite her prior statement, the CFO slouched back into her shotgun seat with a degree of relaxation in mind.  _ I know where we’re going, and for why, but why haven’t you told your uncle about this revelation after you survived the finding out? _ She queried.

_ You saw me, _ Kato took a quick glimpse of his watch, turned the other way on his wrist so that he could still see it while driving.  _...How I was just a couple hours ago, Yada. I was foolishly selfish, thinking nothing of how my realization would impact others. _

_ Makes sense.  _

Kato gives her a swift glance.  _ I know, I screwed up there. _

_ Yeah, you did.  _ Yada admitted, stretching her neck by turning away from her husband.

_ Everytime I fail to do my job right, something monumentally bad happens. And you want to call me out on it, don’t you? _

Yada suddenly swivels her head back towards him with sheer confusion.  _ Why must you keep doing that to yourself? _

_... _

_ You told me seven years ago that I’m worth it, Kato. You’re worth it too.  _ The businesswoman assured him yet again.

Kato looked at his timekeeper once more, seeing the dials and counters briefly flashing back to an evening of Summer 2017 before returning to the present day. From there, his grin returned.  _ Right. I’ll make sure to keep the self-loathing in check; no time for it now.  _

_ Not healthy for you. _ Yada reminded him further.

_ Old habits.  _ Kato conceded.

_ Of course.  _ The CFO acknowledged.

_ Yeah.  _ The CEO concurred.

_ Bad habit too. _

_ Sure enough. _

_ So drop it. _

_ I’ll try. _

_ All? _

_ All. _

_ Don’t play. _

_ I never. _

_ You hussle. _

_ It’s different. _

_ Same result. _

_ Not always. _

_ Prove it. _

_ I will. _

_ No loopholes. _

_ I promise. _

_ On blood? _

_ On a Suntory. _

_ That’s less. _

_ More for you. _

_ Irrelevant. _

_ Proof says otherwise. _

_ Worked only once. _

_ Will again. _

_ We’ll see. _

_ Indeed. _

_ Good. _

_ Great. _

_ Yes. _

There was then a long interval of micro-node communications silence that filled the Lebanese supercar and enveloped its occupants.

Then Kato broke the silence.  _ I missed this. During that... _ He took to his wrist-mounted ticker once more.  _ Year that I’ve been gone. _

_ That makes two of us. _ Yada seconded. A beam slowly formed from her mouth.

They then met free palms across the centerpiece of the car as they continued on their way.

Roughly a minute later, however...

Both the CEO’s earpiece and the CFO’s smartphone blared their respective alarms, alerting them both. “K and Y.” They both simultaneously answered the group call.

“Chairman! Mistress! Walsh here!” The voice on the other line interjected.

“Walsh, what’s the damage?” Yada postured up in her passenger seat.

“Kato, your uncle... At the Crash Site. He and eight others...” The Brit from Birmingham spoke. Very solemnly so, in contrast to his usually serious demeanor.

“Norio?! What happened to him?” Kato’s own tone turned desperate. His wife similarly tensed up over the abrupt urgency.

“He’s been left for the slab.” Walsh admitted, but then cleared his throat. “And by that, I mean he’s alive. But in critical condition! It’s a toss-up of recovery given his age, Chairman sir!” 

Kato took three deep breaths as the sentences reached his ear. “And the others?”

“Two dead. The rest are also in bad shape but are in good hands now.” The Captain relayed additional details.

“Kato...” Yada couldn’t help muttering with sympathy.

“And Chairman sir, I know you’re distraught, and I thank you for the concern for the rest of the brass, but you should know, the Crash Site-”

“No, thank you for the timely, informative update. Watch over the crew while I plot how to take care of this business.” Kato then pressed on a button on his bluetooth device, ending the conversation for him and his wife.

_ ‘Crash Site?’ _ Yada put away her phone.  _ What’s this about a Crash Site? I’ve got practically all of our Tier A confidentiality assets down and that’s the first I heard you and Walsh refer to something called a Crash Site. _

Rather than answer immediately, Kato swiftly changed directions, taking an incredibly sharp U-turn that took his wife by surprise; only allowing her a chance to clutch the window with her far hand to stop her head from doing the same.

The CEO then took a look at his watch again before cogitating his response.  _ The acquisition was recent - just over a dozen months and fourteen days old, and through a gentleman’s agreement, so no need for records. _

_ Never run out of secrets for me to find out about? _ The CFO cocked an eyebrow.

_ I wouldn’t be much of the man you fell in love with if there weren’t more volumes of me. _ Kato glanced back for a millisecond.

_ Hm-hmm. _ Yada then refocused.  _ So where are we going now? _

_ NTT Medical Center.  _ He divulged.

_ What? Why? _ She curiously wondered... Though an instant later, she knew exactly why. And the mere thought dilated her eyes completely.

Then for the second time, the two were interrupted by some loud buzzers; this time, they were reserved only for Kato’s bluetooth, which he answered through the car’s onboard computer, so that Yada could also hear. 

“KAM.” Kato identified himself. 

“Mr. Kato, some cops just passed through the main entrance of NTT. But I don’t think they were cops.” A seniorly, Kumamoto accent informed. 

“How’d you figure?” Kato requested confirmation.

“Instinct to flash a badge, asking for a name, safeties off and tac-straps loose-” The mole listed out observations.

“Good enough. We’re on the way to deal with them.” Kato turned off his bluetooth.

“Seriously, what is this about?” Yada’s tone now began mimicking her husband’s, albeit with much more obvious desperation.

“You really want to be in denial over this, Yada?” Kato audibly answered back.

The CFO couldn’t help shaking her head and closing her eyes in pain at the impending realization. But just as quickly, her determination overwhelms her strain. “Step on it.”

“With pleasure.” Kato punched it.

In another two minutes, the power couple arrived in the emergency care drive-through of the general hospital. The Chairman proceeded to perform a hard right turn, causing the Lykan to pivot parallel so that the passenger door faced the sliding entrance and drifted to the curb. Yada used the centripetal momentum to launch herself out of the vehicle and walk into the facility with style. Kato flipped from his side of the supercar over the roof to meet up with her.

Upon trekking past the outer threshold, a scrubbed-up nurse was there with a clipboard and pen to greet them. “Names and locations of...” The medical professional was interrupted by a Kato Alliance lapel pin sliding down the thinkpad. She looked up with utter shock, judging by her agape mouth. “Mr. Ohno! And Miss Ryuga! To what do we-”

“Some cops came in and they’re asking for the wrong guy. We’ll resolve the matter.” The woman asserted, blowing past her after a quick bow.

Kato started following, but hissed to himself briefly and went back to meet the nurse face-to-face again. “Apologies for the rudeness; we are in a big hurry. And any damages, we shall pay.” He assured her before continuing on his way.

They soon got into an elevator and pressed the number four; the floor which Akihisa was on. Once the doors closed, Yada couldn’t help exasperatingly sighing at the sheer pressure; which her husband noticed empathically.

Meanwhile on the fourth floor, the bell dings for an elevator. But a second later, a distant detonation could be heard, causing both lifts’ machine drives to break, loosening their cables and sending them plummeting down to the basement. Their crash at the bottom caused much greater audible disturbances, of which were noticed by the public, causing widespread panic and an evacuation order.

Two Steyr AUG A3 XS SMGs were trained on the landing doors in case they were pried open. But after thirty seconds, nothing of the sort occurred. Their wielders’ aim naturally relaxed and one of them took to their headset.

“Halo 5 to Landing. There’s no sign of them. Would it be too much to believe they were in those when they fell?” The one on the left suggested.

“The whole point of this venture, like the others before, is to play perfectly against his confidence and fall right into a gambit. So no, he wasn’t in that. No matter. Stick to the plan.” The alleged control officer answered back. He was flanked by three others, who had their iron sights on a whole floor’s worth of hospital staff. Said medical professionals, technicians, and custodians were bound by their wrists and ankles in cable ties, cleave-gagged, linked together and stuck to the wall handlebars of one of the larger suites.

“Right...” The right-side operative ended their conversation. He then switched channels and started up again. “Halo 5 to Halo 1, 4, 7, and 9. Keep active patrol on this floor, in case we find any snoopers. Or wakers; even cuffed, if those patients on gurneys and chairs turn out to be KAM, they can still pose quite an issue with this operation. Also, get on with finding Akihisa Yada already!” He commanded.

“Gotcha/Affirmative/Understood.” Three of the sentries reacted almost simultaneously.

“Acknowledged.” The final member of the group conversation stated... As far as the enemies thought. In reality, Yada had made an uncanny recreation of the voice of the man who had collapsed to her side to the radio, with her nickel-plated Hudson H9 pistol in the other hand. Said patrol was being discreetly dragged over to be compactly stuffed into a supply closet’s metallic wardrobe by Kato. 

_ Quite the impression, Yada. Your skills in negotiation are reaching ever new and higher peaks. _ Kato complimented once he had firmly shut the locker. 

_ I always aim to impress. Your bioacoustics analyzer certainly helped a lot though. _ She modestly remarked, before they both put on their KAM AtTac suits (Mk. IV and Kato Custom respectively, like the year before) and turned on their Octo-Ink filters.  _ Kato, even with our cloaking technology, there’s no doubt isolated CCTV cameras are watching every doorway. Given the layout, they could get the drop on us anywhere between twenty seconds and four. _

_ And they know we wouldn’t short out the power, or many patients could be dead from lack of life support. Alternatively, it would be their way of finding out if said patients could be my guys and gals or not. So we’re not calling on a hammer; we’re using a chisel. _ The Chairman stated cryptically.

Yada got what he meant and whipped out her Dragonfly-Bot. Kato then attached a small, strange dart to its artificial thorax before the CFO piloted it through the vent chambers. It made its way to the local power controller box within the janitor’s closet four rooms down. After floating and gravitating towards each of the several cords protruding from the top of the wall-mounted chamber, the RC finally jammed the needle of its payload into one of them.

A small electrical surge occurred afterwards, causing all of the cameras to disable. The bot then retracted the dart and inserted into another cable, causing all of the lights to shut down; something the hostile crew obviously noticed.

“Halo 7! Lights down in the South.”

“This is Landing. All lights are off. And so are cameras. Interestingly, the EKGs and outlets are full-power though.” The control operative identified.

“He’s here. Does that mean those patients-?” A teammate of Halo 1 asked.

“Means nothing. Would-be heroes would keep innocents alive as much as allies. Doesn’t mean we can’t start executing them to rile him up though.” Landing implicitly suggested.

“Not a bad idea.” Halo 4’s communicator signed off, before hastily walking towards one gurney, Glock 41 in hand. He chambered the round and aimed down iron sights with the patient’s head in view. “Sorry, champ.” He expressed his sympathies.

But before he had pulled the trigger, a loud crash could already be heard. 

“The Hell was that?” The shooter retracted his arm and looked towards the noise’s source. A second later he went back to his radio. “What the Hell was that?” He repeated.

“A diversion. By the rats. Carry on.” Landing answered back.

“Right.” Halo 4 then turned back into the room... Only to find that the person on the bed was gone. “What the-?!” He exclaimed, looking around vigorously.

“What’s wrong, sir?” The two fake cops urgently came in.

“He’s gone!” The sub-leader held up the opened pair of handcuffs, sabotaged by a protruding paperclip.

“Where could he have gone?” One of the new two went to the windows, ensuring that they were bolted shut. His second opened every furniture door. 

“Halo 4 to Land-” The comms operative started up on his radio... Which made the transformation from wired to wireless, as he just realized. As he pondered all the reasons how, he then had his second revelation that his security was now in front of him rather than behind. He turned a complete 180, right into a heavy-duty (emphasis on the heavy) bedpan swing, denting his helmet into his facial features. 

The other two turned back quickly to take aim at the enemy, but they too were too late, as the gurney was then forcibly flipped, smashing into them and sandwiching them into the wall. Pinned with only their heads exposed, the first ambusher dashed in with a pair of dislodged Shock-Pads and shoved them into their exposed faces, pacifying them within a dozen seconds.

The attacker then turned mysteriously towards the ground.  _ Great diversion, Konno. _ She expressed her gratitude.

_ Needed your diversion to work. Thanks. _ The Konno in question lifted a set of tiles out of the ground underneath where the gurney once was to reveal himself.

_ Okay, stay out of sight until our cue. _ Kato, who had flipped the bed, ordered.

_ Of course, Chairman sir. _ The man then retreated deeper into the underfloor passages, closing the trapdoor along the way.

Footsteps from across the two halls on the North side began approaching quickly to investigate the struggle’s noises. Kato and Yada both met them from around the corners of the island that separated them, taking out the first two in each lane before return fire commenced and they retreated back behind cover.

Under the guise of suppressive fire, the next fake oncoming cops prepared some microwave pulse grenades and rolled them towards the corners. They had detonated near-simultaneously and caused a pair of thudding noises. Believing it was the success of their technology, they pressed further with an active aim. Not active enough though, as they didn’t manage to aim around a Ballistic Shield checking them into two open patient rooms. The rest behind them weren’t ignored, as Kato and Yada then threw Stun-Net nodes at them, forming the electrical field that incapacitated the remainder within the corridors. Their answer to the pulse grenades finally floated down to the ground just afterwards - a large aluminum-infused Techni-Cot sheet that had tented them from the microwaves.

_ Hm... _ Yada persisted in spectating their motionless bodies some more.

_ Think so too, huh? _ Kato heard his wife’s thoughts lucidly.

_ It’s very vexing once you learn to be right ninety percent of the time. _ Yada answered back. They then turned back invisible when they heard new shuffling noises across the floor. She then opened up her InReTs screen and activated the hidden camera watching the inside of Akihisa’s room; Kato came up behind her to take a look.  _ They’re turning over every nook now that they’re running out of time. We gotta press now.  _ She acknowledged.

_ Affirmative. But how shall we do that?  _ Kato agreed wholeheartedly.

_ You got no idea? _ Yada put her forearm away.

_ Must you ask? _ Kato bounced back. 

Seconds later, the sprinklers were activated, dousing the entire floor. 

“Heh, this his next plan of attack?”

“A little bit of rain ain’t stopping our aim. Especially with the kinetic filters of our tac-glasses.” Another from Landing added on, pinching on the screws twice; quick light flashes in a specific pattern resonated with the fixed velocities of every drop of water and rendered them motionless to the naked eye. “Quite wacky stuff, our boss’ got.” He snickered.

“No shit.” A third, who had also activated the tech, observed.

“Hold the smoke, guys. Smell something.” The first refocused, giving off audible sniffs. “Like grease.” He figured, while using his AM-17 rifle’s scope further down the hall. “It’s flowing from a loose hose.”

“Wait, grease?” The second requested affirmation before looking back at the door to Akihisa’s room, which was protected airtight from the outside. “Oh shit! Get inside a room!”

But it was too late for that, as Kato then tossed an open lighter directly into the center of the grease pool, immediately causing a fire to emerge. Due to the continuous water spray, the grease spread out across the Landing’s control area, ergo causing the inferno to escalate at an immense rate. Within seconds, almost all members of the known attack party have become engulfed by the flames.

“Smokes out; suffocating the fire!” Perhaps the only one who pushed the embers down to just his thighs called out, whipping out several of said explosives, pulling all pins, and letting them roll onto the floor. The haze screen indeed manages to put the fire out, allowing much of the team to recover. “Off your asses and get kinetic, gentlemen! Those rats have got to be snuffed out!” He demanded, lifting one of his cohorts onto his feet. 

“Sir, you dropped a dud. I’ll get it.” Another noticed, going to pick it up.

The grenadier suddenly looked confused, looking to his left hand and seeing all four pins belonging to all of his discarded explosives. “Don’t!”

But it was too late; the moment his outstretched fingers were mere centimeters away from the cylinder, a precise ballistic revealed its true nature; a glass plug flask shattered so that its content - a couple hundred milliliters’ worth of ethyl acetate - fell directly onto an active medical electro-cauterizing tool. 

The fluid, primarily for circuit-board cleaning (of which was necessary to keep some of the hospital’s advanced technology at optimal performance), was also highly flammable, and thus when ignited caused a large fireball to emerge. It was likely that if there wasn’t a starvation of the usual oxygen, the blaze could’ve well torched every floor from there to ground level. 

The pure impact of the fire’s abrupt emergence knocked all sentries down. Those that didn’t equip their eye protection also faced severe irritation at their orifices due to the compound’s nature, causing them to writhe on the ground for all of three reasons. 

They were put out eventually, when continued water pressure from the sprinklers combined with some mercy extinguisher foam doused them... Only to take a surge of amplified electricity from Kato and Yada’s Shock-Out rounds. With the last shot and a set of tactical reloads, the duo had cleared the floor of their opponents.

_ That takes care of that. _ Yada gave all nearby foes a second check to be truly sure they were absolutely down for the count.

_ Stay vigilant, Yada. This is your brother we’re rescuing. _ Kato cautioned, summoning his ballistic shield across his left forearm in anticipation.

_ I know, I know. _ The CFO concurred, copying his motions to breach the main room. She then recalibrated her suit-enhanced earpiece, and permitted piggybacking for the CEO.  _ Aki, I’m here! Kato is too; the coast is clear! We’re going to extract you immediately!  _ She spoke through micro-comms to reach her sibling past the adjacent door and wall.

But after a couple of seconds, he didn’t respond.

_ Something’s off. We’re breaking in. _ Kato dictated. Naturally, as this was a door purposefully reinforced by KAM to be difficult to break into before the cavalry arrived, it was going to take some extra doing - unique doing too, for that matter, as Kato whipped out a special infiltration tool for this job. It was essentially a blowtorch that fired extremely cold temperatures rather than hot - with enough air pressure that it could act as a clean-piercing drill for metal. Which is exactly what it did to the turning bolt for the door’s keyhole; whatever criteria necessary was bypassed, and the chemical countermeasures (of which sat both above and below the lock) were frozen to a halt.

Immediately, the two barged in, finding Akihisa inside the room! But the arrivals kept their firearm’s sights up, because he turned out to not be alone.

“Touka!” The patient identified, stopping quickly when his captor’s free arm emphasized its choking nature around his throat.

“Akihisa!” Yada yelled back, before turning her attention to the enemy. “How dare you.” She growled intensely.

“Well well, look who I found hiding inside an AC unit that didn’t respond to any of the controls!” The prior infiltrator taunted, while driving his FNX-9’s barrel deeper into Akihisa’s cheek. His weak constitution forces him to audibly wince in response 

“LET HIM GO!” Yada yelled, keeping her aim trained on him.

“Let go of your guns.” The man ordered back.

“Fat chance.” Kato countered.

“Then he didn’t mean that much to you after all.” He responded, looking at his hostage and squeezing on the trigger.

“Wait!” Yada’s tone displayed modicums of shivering.

The invader turned his attention back to them, easing finger pressure on the firearm. “Go on.” He repeated.

Husband and wife both realized what they must do and concurrently released aim.

“Good. Now put them down.” 

“You first.” Yada mocked his attempt at a command.

“Why, you insole-” 

He would not get to finish his insult, as once he had certainly taken his eyes off the objective, Akihisa capitalized... Or his imposter, who swatted the pistol’s barrel away from his face with his far hand. His closer hand took the index finger of the hand belonging to the choking arm and pulled back, forcing the release. Finally, while keeping the barrel pointed down, the Akihisa lookalike turned around and pivoted the firearm back on its receiver - specifically targeting the far knee, and forced a discharge. 

The sole enemy screamed in pain as his left leg buckled from the projectile impact, and he was left writhing on the ground, as “Akihisa” proceeded to confiscate the remainder of his paraphernalia and other utilities. 

“Very good work, Dunning.” Kato stood easy and crossed his arms.

“Yeah. The mannerisms were spot-on.” Yada held her right hip approvingly.

Dunning ripped off a voice transponder from the skin of his neck and chuckled. “Glad I didn’t disappoint.” He accepted the compliments.

“So Akihisa’s been shuffled out by Konno?” Kato requested confirmation.

“Yes ma’am. Cravic has rendezvoused with them and they await a golden opportunity to descend to the extraction point.” The double informed.

Yada sighed with the first true sense of relaxation so far today. “That’s quite a relief.”

He then began dusting himself off. “I’m really dying to know who all of these bad guys who attacked here were. No small fry, and no regular syndicate, either.” He then remarked.

Husband and wife then couldn’t help leering back at each other with uneasiness.

“That shouldn’t be too hard to find out, though. Not when we have you, Chairman sir.” Dunning now stood proper after the quick cleansing, spick and span. 

Not like it was going to matter.

Not more than three seconds after he completed that statement, he was immediately punctured through the heart by, as Kato could reliably observe, a 7.62x51 NATO round. The ballistic must’ve rocked around his skeletal system, as his entire chest convexed out with bloody gibs.

Both of them are mortified by the abrupt casualty and instantaneously drop down and leave the room. Kato takes a quick peer through the windows, seeing the cracked hole where the round struck through the protective glass (which wouldn’t have been able to resist the round at such a velocity [though that only poses another query for Kato]), and then back at his teammate; his eyes had already glazed over, and blood began flowing out of his prone form. Kato sighed and psyched himself back into the game, starting with Shock-Out-ing the one Dunning had already taken out prior, and then accessing his InReTs controls to send down reinforced shutters on the transparent surface.

This would be highly crucial for him, for enemy reinforcements had seemingly spawned from out of nowhere to continue the assault on this floor of NTT Medical Center. 

_ Kato! I’m sorry, but we got company! _ Yada informed him, taking out her Hudson H9 once more.

_ Yeah... _ Kato pulled out two of his Kimber Mk. IIIs this time.  _ Yeah we do. _ He agreed.

Promptly, the sounds of a Ramos Gas Grenade Launchers could be heard from two of the open elevator shafts and the both North and South staircases. 

_ Looks like we were wrong about the target, Yada. _

_ What? This wasn’t about my brother? _

_ No, though I reckon they’d still try to kill him if they see him so that they can lure me out. But that’s the sinker - they’re after me first and foremost. And they staged this NTT attack knowing that I’d come to respond. _ Kato claimed, as he also seized one of the fallen’s rifles.

_ But even so, how’d you- _

The CFO’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrivals of whirring disc-like devices that glided along the small layer of sprinkler water that has, at this stage, blanketed the floor. It rotates until it seemingly faces the two of them, at which point it was joined by four others and slid at water strider speeds towards them.

Unsure of the devices’ nature, the two instantly jump and stick onto the ceiling to avoid. This was a very effective measure of precaution, as once the closest disk reached where Yada originally was, it leaped up and summoned semi-circle sawblades that spun at chainsaw speeds to cut through where her upper shin was.  _ Holy shit. _

_ This is really bizarre. They must’ve known we’d douse the place! _ Kato acknowledged. Again, they wouldn’t have time to further reflect, as then the enemy reinforcements rushed to their location. Knowing they weren’t on the ground, they had their HK USCs pointed up at the canopy, searching for their adversaries.

_ Gets worse; we may be invisible thanks to Octo-Ink, but the splashing water exposes us on the walls and ceiling. They really planned this out. He did!  _ Yada thought to him.

_ I see that. But I wonder if he planned out for this.  _ Kato asserted, before slipping into a sliding metal tile close to a disabled light set open and flipped into the opening - his succeeding hand gestures urged Yada to do the same. The tile was replaced before the nearest soldier cut the corner to investigate.  _ Just like how we have ground passages, we have some upper passages to discreetly reach other rooms and the next floors.  _

_ Great work.  _ Yada nodded approvingly.

_ KK and Y; Confirming I still got Bunk. Shall we proceed with extraction? _ Konno spoke.

_ We’re corralling them to the North end. Take the South staircase down when we give the cue. _ The Chairman ordered, as he continued working with his left-side earpiece.

_ At once, boss.  _ The Alliance member confirmed, then turned to communications silence.

To fulfill his end of the objective, the duo were able to dupe the new crew by utilizing Throw Voice micromachines replicating their wall traversal sounds, and hitting Wire Wrest hooks onto particularly commotion-prone instruments. Before long, all the soldiers were flocked in the North center.

_ Go now! _ Kato then commanded, with him and Yada both coming out of the ceiling from different sections, immediately binding the two enemies in front of them from behind with a chokehold. Their free arms then commandeered their controls over their firearms and fired in sweeps at the rest, knowing that their armors would be resistant to the prior shock attacks (naturally, since they were standing in water). The plan worked out, as the rest ahead of them couldn’t turn back quick enough and were neutralized fast by high-caliber rounds striking them.

To finish things off, both of them ripped off their hostages’ helmets and delivered the coup de graces in the form of a Shock-Pad to the forehead.

_ Phew, well that takes care of that. _ Yada clapped her gloved hands clean.

_ Hotwire on their smart-gun encryption is complete, too; if there’s any more coming at us, they won’t have many long-range options. Ah, not as clean as I’d like it. But the victories are adding up. _ Kato concurred. He then turned to his micro-communications once more.  _ How are we, Bunk and Batch? _ He asked.

But there was nothing but silence.

Yada bit her lower lip facing a hard reality for the second time. She then took to her own earpiece.  _ Batch, how are you and Bunk? _ She reiterated.

Yet again, nobody answered. Which was when the duo then raced to the Southern staircase. Arriving there, they both find Konno, lying at the bottom of the staircase, with his head just slightly pivoted beyond the natural angle, eyes glazed over. 

“SHIT!!” Kato yelled in anger.

_ Calm, Kato! My brother’s been taken, and I can’t save him with a blind vengeance! _ Yada compressed his shoulders a bit to calm him. She then took a look at an alert on her InReTs screen.  _ CCTV isn’t showing anybody new coming from down below, so whoever took him has gone up. Maybe air transport is incoming? _ Yada suggested.

_ Must be thinking of using an EMT’s chopper to escape. We have to intercept promptly. _ Kato nodded to her as they both trekked upwards.


	4. Insurmountable Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The attack on NTT Medical Center looks to be reaching its conclusion.
> 
> Wow, where'd you get that idea? Maybe the fact that in the last few lines of the previous chapter, Akihisa had been taken by one of the enemy forces? 
> 
> Well... Yeah. And now it's time to get him back before he disappears forever. Maybe we might just finish this little issue before it grows into something worse. But even that might be a very tall order.

Kato and Yada continued to clear the remaining six floors of the renovated, but now-ruined NTT Medical Center in the Gotanda District, knowing that whoever has the latter’s younger brother - Akihisa - would be heading towards the facility’s roof. 

On the last set of stairs, Kato produced a collapsible battering ram and prepared to chuck it out towards the threshold, knowing full well that the fleeing threat could’ve sabotaged the doorway upon opening. The heavy payload knocks the metal hatch out of place, cleanly ripping it away from the hinges, but no countermeasure was activated.

_ Huh... _ Kato looked very surprised.  _ No covering next to, or above, the door, and no contingency plan for breaking the entrance. No way should it be this easy. _

_ Kato, you realize I cannot wait for any more suspicions? Whoever they are could’ve already thrown my sibling off the building and is just waiting to taunt us all about it. _ Yada reminded him, charging ahead.

_ Wait, Yada-! _ Kato tried to pull her back, albeit reaching out too late, being forced to follow her up instead. He thankfully catches up to her before she fully crosses the verge, pulling her back to make her avoid a one-two volley of titanium-tipped bolts fired from Barnett high-tension crossbows mounted on opposite sides. Were it not for the involuntary intervention, Yada’s helmet (and perhaps even the head inside) could’ve found itself a pair of feathered horns.

_ Whoa! _ Her heart skipped a beat.  _ Thanks. _

_ Don’t thank me just yet! _ Kato worriedly stated, as he then looked back with his X-ray filter on, and noticed someone climbing all around the rooftop entrance’s section to end up on the entrance side in an unbelievable time. The foe revealed themselves to their naked eye by swinging on the top sill of the threshold, giving momentum to their double front kick that landed flush onto the CFO’s chest. The impact sent her into her husband with enough strength to knock them both down the stairs they had just climbed moments before.

Thankfully, the Chairman had a reprise stocked, firing a Wire Wrest from his right hand into the top section of the door way (the hook drilling into place scared the adversary into letting go and return to regular standing too). Retracting the silk-infused cable sent them back up quickly, and provided momentum for Yada to perform a dropkick of her own onto the foe. 

The latest attack knocks the opponent onto their back, with Yada swiftly getting into a triangle lock of their crossed legs, akin to Khabib’s primary technique to initiate ground grappling. The restraint trapped them for a full-impact punt kick by Kato to the temple, nearly taking off their combat mask while doing so.

But despite his strength and the head slapping the ground, their foe was still conscious.  _ What? _ He thought, looking back at the still moist eyes behind the face cover. Yada too was bewildered by the intense durability of the opponent, enough so that her triangle was countered by them turning onto their side to eliminate the crossed-leg disadvantage and reverse toe-holding one of Yada’s own legs, slamming her face onto the ground. 

Kato naturally rushes back in to appease the opponent before they can do further damage to his wife. But with near-physics-defying strength, the person then seized Yada’s free leg and tossed her over their supine body, sending her towards Kato, who instinctively caught her. 

_ Kato! Stray RFID! _ She notified, as he put her down. 

Attached to the small of her back, as he noticed, was a circular beacon, which strobed very quickly for a whole second before bouncing up a whole meter skyward and detonating a miniature, yet highly-volatile reaction. The electric discharge that followed formed a nuclear EMP that fried the circuitry of their suits.

The both of them watched in awe as their suits retracted as a failsafe to the forced deactivation before noticing their troublesome foe kip-up back to their feet, which was when they turned to their Kimber Warrior Mk. III and Hudson H9 respectively. The assailant made their disappointment obvious despite still wearing a tactical mask by twiddling their index finger as they ripped off the protective gear across their torso, knees, and elbows (this act, in the meantime, showed that they were in fact female, given the figure).

Yada ignored the warning and tried to fire anyways, but the trigger of her handgun offered no resistance!  _ What the-? _ She looked at the slide with confoundment.

Kato gave his a quick glance before stashing it and taking off the spine holster. Yada frantically eyed him, but a quick nod gave her all the information she needed - the same way they burned the tactical outfit back on the fourth floor.

_ How does she-? _ Yada asked him as she unstrapped her back-waist holster.

_ She might just answer. _ The Chairman responded, awaiting the one across the line in the sand to finish unequipping herself.

“Where is he?!” Yada demanded. 

The newcomer was surprisingly swift to share, pointing towards the helipad to her left (Kato and Yada’s right). When they turned that way, they noticed Akihisa; alive and well, but rendered immobile by cable ties restricting all of his joints in a coffin-position, hung upside down from the edge of the platform, and tent-staked at several points on the ground.

Yada was naturally horrified at her brother’s treatment, but again converted the strong emotion into anger. “You’re not long for this world if you’ve harmed him.” She threatened.

The woman merely gave a double point at the CFO before returning them for a sarcastic jazz hands of fear, amplified by exhaling sharply.

_ Remember, Yada - no impulse. Especially for her. _ Kato cautioned about his wife’s rage, before getting into his Risen Samurai stance.

_ Wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. _ She assured the CEO, pulling out her dual, telescopic batons and holding them in serada stance. 

The infiltrator forgoed such preparation and immediately sprinted towards them at breakneck speed. When they were within breathing distance, she delivered a similarly fast, right roundhouse kick that was going to put both of them down temple-first. Going to, anyways, before Kato put up his Keysi guard. Though it was a successful guard, he was utterly surprised yet again by their opponent’s strength, which forced him to stumble over a bit.

Thankfully, Yada was right next to him, throwing her left arm around Kato’s waist to ensure he remains upright, and pivots around him so that she can strike downwards with the baton belonging to her other arm, targeting the woman’s knee. The impact brings the limb down, but the woman hardly flinches as a result. Yada immediately follows it up with a load-up across her chest, preparing for a backhand strike. When it approaches, the infiltrator swats the weapon down with both of her gloved hands.

Kato recovered and followed up with a front kick while the woman’s arms were too far below to block. The attack lands flush on her chest, pushing her back enough so that Yada could set up a baton variation of the Mountain punch, hitting both high and low on her opponent. The disbalancing leg strike did not persist long enough for that, however, as the woman promptly regained stance and checked the lower strike and forearm-blocked the upper. 

Kato went underneath both extended arms and delivered a left uppercut, aiming for the chin. The woman saw it coming right on time to change the attack’s destination to her right tricep. Kato follows it up with a side headbutt, which was resisted using the same arm’s hand. This was all good for the Chairman, however, as he then stomped on the front right foot, trapping her there. The infiltrator realizes the binding and tries for a left hook, which he ducks underneath. Normally, he would have an arm out to counter such a strike promptly, but he didn’t this time, for Yada was right behind him, ramming the pommel of the nightstick into the forearm, causing briefly-stinging pain for her.

That was when Kato snatched the woman’s carpus and turned over while pivoting behind her, causing a stereo shoulder and wrist lock that forced her to bow. An exposed nape was exactly what Yada was looking for to land a 12-6 whack onto, which she did promptly, creating an almost-perfect crackling noise with the weapon.

But even that hardly fazed the infiltrator, as they both realized with widened eyes. The shock made the CFO hesitate, rendering her vulnerable for a side kick pushing her away and even forcing a side roll to avoid falling over completely. The woman then dealt with Kato’s grapple by scrambling her hand, lessening the latter’s grip on it until she was free. Kato went for a consolation straight, traveling towards her close cheek. And despite all of his enhanced strength... It was caught in her raised open palm without any strain!

Kato looked on with bewilderment as the woman stood upright again, still clawing his attacking hand and turning to face him square. Kato even tried to retract his fist, but nigh-supernatural finger strength refused. Yada returned to the fray with a forehand downwards chop; the woman caught the inner rod as it approached her turning head.

=Ryu Ga Gotoku KIWAMI II’s OST “Update With Gunfire” plays.=

矢田 桃花そして加藤和彦VS謎の敵

Touka Yada; CFO of KAM and R&D

“We’ll teach you to attack a person’s loved ones!”

And

Kazuhiko Kato; Chairman of the Kato Alliance

“Something isn’t... Right with this one.”

VS

Mysterious Enemy

Despite their astonishment over the infiltrator’s displayed capabilities, Kato and Yada resist further dawdling and sync up their low roundhouse kicks to both of the former’s popliteal areas, bending her knees and diminishing her height. Kato didn’t put his leg down, instead bringing it over her arm and tucking his own popliteal into her shoulder, initiating a modified standing waki-gatame. His knee also pinned the woman’s head in place, in time for Yada to arrive with a sliding knee across the cranium.

Still unflinched, the woman rose back up to her feet and pressed her arm back down, forcing Kato to frontflip away from her. The latter attempted to recoup his losses with a skipping hook kick targeting the side of the face, only to have it blocked with a well-timed cover-up. Kato retracted his leg and loaded up a superkick to the side of the head instead. She answered with a Keysi guard of her own, nullifying the impact and pushing it away, causing the Chairman to stumble backwards anew.

Kato was again helped back into rigidity by Yada, who slung an arm across his shoulders and threw herself forward with a front dropkick, pushing them both back into the fray. Kato caught his wife in a princess carry before she could fall to the ground, providing him with spinning momentum for his low roundhouse kick. When the infiltrator checked the strike, Kato dropped the ball of his foot while he completed his back turn and then delivered a midsection mule kick for more breathing room... And windup momentum for him to Irish whip Yada at her.

Upon release, Yada flew through the air with two tucked knees, looking for either a high-impact meteora or lungblower. Neither would connect, for the other woman caught both joints before they struck her chin/ribs and pushed them down. That was not the only thing that came down, as Yada delivered two 12-6 pommel strikes down onto her crown as she returned to standing. Ticked by the follow-up, the infiltrator whipped her head back up, with said crown smashing into Yada’s chin and momentarily taking her off of her feet. The CFO attempted to dissuade further advances with another horizontal forehand swipe of her right baton, but she ducks underneath that and performs a headlock knee-lift, compressing Yada’s chest drastically. Still in shock, she cannot resist the woman heel-legsweeping her close leg, forcing Yada to one knee, and preparing her for a Thai Clinch knee raise.

Having seen more than enough though, Kato tumbled across Yada’s arched back for a rolling wheel kick. The woman had to forego the second knee in order to block the somersaulting axe kick to her crown, who spun out from the impact, which transitioned into a 360 heel-legsweep. Kato hopped and front-flipped again to avoid the strike, and ended up behind his opponent, crossing arms around the woman’s neck and compressing tightly for the sleeper hold. He anticipated her attempting a backwards low blow with her legs, and so backed up while keeping the rear-naked choke locked. But that wasn’t her only escape method; she switched targets and instead proceeded to pry his head-controlling hand out of position, despite his leverage advantage and fully-devoted strength. 

With her head free, the infiltrator whipped it back, slamming the weighted portion of her crown into Kato’s nose and stunning him enough to loosen the hold. She could’ve gotten out of it from there, but then Yada returns to the fray, whacking in and out of rhythm starting from the legs of their foe and working her way up. With the constantly mounting pressure, Kato was free to lock back in the choke, switching to the clasped-hands variation to apply further pressure. Knowing that this would sacrifice head control as well, he adds a bodyscissors and collapses back, trying to eliminate lower-body strength.

Unfortunately, the infiltrator countered this by bracing her stance forward, overpowering the Chairman’s attempts at falling back. Yada realized this and tried to damage her legs even further to appease it, but after the initial swipe, the woman twisted perpendicular and and dashed forward, delivering a vicious side-headbutt to the other lady’s close eyebrow. A side kick that follows puts the CFO onto her back once more.

Kato attempted to capitalize at the leg-spreading, relinquishing his legscissors so that his right heel could latch onto her matching popliteal, preventing it from returning to its original position. Subsequently, the woman lacked her initial leverage advantage from Kato pulling back, and started to collapse. An inconvenience for the assailant, certainly, but not damning, as she worked quickly to bridge away from Kato’s supine body, preventing him from re-engaging the waistlock. She then backflipped over him, stopping the submission entirely.

Kato attempts to recoup his losses with a one-two leg lift to the face, but his opponent blocks the first and flawlessly catches the instep of the second, pulling back and flipping Kato over while still maintaining control over said limb. While he remains standing thanks to supporting himself by his hands and free foot, she sweeps it aside, forcing him prone. A boot matches his own popliteal’s curvature as the woman attempts to stomp down on top of it. Given the supernatural strength displayed earlier, it’s likely even Kato’s knee could have been dislocated from such an attack.

Which is exactly why he was not going to let it happen. The second all of his lower body was hoisted off the ground, the Chairman kicked with his free foot at her opposite leg’s side. This brought the woman down to her knees, repositioning her stomping leg as a result. Kato shook his other leg loose of the earlier grip and kicked her posterior with it to fully bring her to the ground. Kato then grapevined her close leg and pulled back on the ankle, creating a prone kneebar. 

The assailant made an effort to posture up, planning to overpower Kato’s downward press. This was eliminated, however, when Yada returned to the fray, hopping high enough to rest her sole onto the woman’s nape, delivering The Curb Stomp onto the roof. The face-smushing did little more than give a forehead cut and piss their opponent off, though, who hammer-fists Yada’s knee (as it approached for a low roundhouse kick) to knock her back, and then turning over and kicking Kato’s posterior to push him off.

The CFO ran back in with an overhead baton whack in mind as the other two got back to their feet. The other lady sees it coming and side-steps while pulling her ahead, causing her to almost strike the CEO instead! Thanks to their synergy, however, Yada didn’t have to slow in movement as Kato limbos away from the slash, and lifts up her far leg to guide a back kick pointed at the infiltrator. The abrupt follow-up surprises the lone foe into giving them space.

Yada turned around, with both her nightsticks crossing each other again, guarding herself and Kato behind her as the three slowly closed the fray once again. When Kato looks to circle around from one side, Yada tries to punish the lady for going the other direction, hitting her head at least once while doing so. Yada then jumped back with a perfect split while Kato ducked underneath, allowing himself to take the lead instead. Kato pushes away a front kick meant for his torso and delivers a lungblower high knee in response. Yada then looks to be going in front again with a leapfrog over Kato’s head, which the woman anticipated, delivering a left uppercut to match the dropping jawline... Too bad she didn’t anticipate Yada not committing to the front, dropping back down behind her husband as quickly as she was coming forward, as a feint.

Kato stops the attack dead with a 12-6 elbow, albeit putting almost everything behind that move to block. Not absolutely everything, as Kato then leaped up for a front dropkick that meets with the woman’s stomach. Yada follows up before the Chairman even reaches the floor, flying forward with a jumping spinning hook kick that further stresses the lady’s torso using a Sling-Blade motion. Turning to face her again also lends crucial momentum to a quick backhand-forehand baton combination, creating new red lashes on one side of the waist.

A Dempsey Rolling duck and weave permits her to avoid the stray haymaker and reprise with a stereo duet of kesagiri lashes. The two pommels then acted as points to block the next hook by its forearm (and hitting its pressure points to make it a little sleepy) as she continued with a tandem double backhand across the woman’s cheek and waist. Yada then saw the hint that her opponent would shoulder check to neutralize her Roll, so she quickly pivoted on one leg to side-step, delivering the check hook with her close baton as they passed by.

Unfortunately, her newfound offense doesn’t last, as the other lady begins resonating with Yada’s rhythm and blocks the next two strikes before acting with precognition, catching the right-hand striking section with an open palm as it swings horizontally forehand towards her chin. When the woman twists it counter-clockwise (from her perspective), Yada aerial-cartwheels the same way her crooked arm was, eliminating the wringing advantage the torsional motion would have granted the latter. This also provided the potential energy for her next forehand with the free left hand, but that too was grabbed.

Knowing that Yada wouldn’t let go of her weapons, the assailant uses it to their advantage, short-arming the CFO into her straight kick. Yada sees it coming just in time, and falls to her knees when pulled ahead, allowing herself to limbo underneath the upper leg. The other anticipated such an evasion in kind, however, and so lifted the leg even higher so that she could slam it on Yada’s supine face with an axe kick; the latter answers with a knee-lift, blocking the calf and stopping its attached heel from landing on her nose.

Kato arrives with a shoulder-check, forcing the woman to let go of Yada and her batons, which he then took both of to pull her back to her feet. Kato then flew in with a high knee, which the woman bobbed away from, allowing him to fly past her, right into a spinning hook kick. Kato had the X-guard up to block it. The lady put it back down and then turned the other way, heel-sweeping in a steep arc behind the Chairman. The kick knocked him off of his feet, but he had a backup plan in case he couldn’t avoid it, loading his far leg while the other got struck; now in the air, he twirled in mid-air until he could push kick her without wasting time adjusting aim, providing him time and space to roll back to a safe three-point stance.

Just as quickly, Kato closed the distance, delivering a right haymaker that was blocked with a cover-up on that side by the woman. She responded with a right overhead, which Kato slid outside of for the check hook. It lands flush across her face, but like all previous blows, she tanked it in stride, pivoting herself to face him and delivering a rising backfist with her previous arm. The Chairman successfully axes it down with both radiuses to deflect, but witnesses her follow-up to be another headbutt. With its dizzying speed, Kato could not react in time to fully evade, and so decided to knock a noggin in kind. Upon clashing foreheads, both of them react with slight wincing, but the woman recovers first, grabbing the back of Kato’s head and headbutting a second time. Not letting it go just yet, she then pushes his nape down so that his face meets a raised left knee, while also loading up a left foot for a side kick.

Kato doesn’t give space as planned for the assailant, as he grabs her attacking boot just before it leaves his head, pulling him back into the fray. This, along with a duck underneath her reactionary spinning backfist, brings him close to initiate a desperate single-collar, single-underhook clinch, restraining the woman’s left arm. He endured a couple of powerful right hooks until Yada made the save this time, smacking the distracted woman over the head with her right baton. The latter responded with a surprise snap kick to Kato’s manhood, loosening his grapple enough so that a forearm push on his throat leveraged him away.

Yada went for another overhead a moment after, but the infiltrator saw it coming and she once more caught the strike from behind. This time, she refused to play around, turning around while bringing her hand back to her waist; the resulting speed caused the weapon to rip right out of her grasp. Yada had to forego any sense of shock or loss from that, as she then had to deflect the next attack coming from said lost baton with her sole remaining one. The woman pushed hers down afterwards and spun backhand for a wild horizontal swing, which Yada ducked underneath. She herself then spun out of the succeeding knee lift and held her weapon perpendicular to the 12-6 slam of the other nightstick; holding it back forced her to one knee anew. 

The CFO then saw the woman bring her front leg up for a huge stomp that would meet her face, so she broke from the weapon clash and barrel-rolled away from the foot drop. Yada made it to three-point stance and then spun while moving backwards to launch a 540 kick; one whose attacking, metal-meshed sole landed perfectly to the side of the baton when it came from the other side. Such a perfect counter had the impact to disarm the assailant, with the orphaned nightstick flying off the roof of the hospital. 

Yada dashed back in with a low discus backhand whack targeting the woman’s front leg, which was backed away from. She then tried a lunge up high, going for her heart, but the infiltrator saw it coming, cross-countering with a right straight to Yada’s exposed ribcage. She reels back in response, conceding a quick two coughs, before covering up with an additional knee to block a midsection roundhouse kick. Yada’s raised leg then overlaps with her opponent’s, giving it a clear trail all the way to the latter’s midriff. The lady catches the leg and swings it back the way it came, launching the CFO off of her feet and into another rollaway sequence.

The woman would approach her supine form, but not at her own pace, for Kato came upon silent call, hitting the spine with a pointed knee. Yada anticipated what her husband would do and lifted her right leg up to meet with the midsection directly across flesh from the stressed area. With the pinch attack finished, Kato then seized her right arm and brought his shoulder into the matching armpit, forming the fulcrum for a hip toss. The lady nullifies much of the impact by repositioning in midair to land on her feet and rushes back at the Chairman for the double-leg takedown. She sees Kato’s succeeding piston kicks a mile away and drags him closer for extra momentum on a falling forearm smash to the cheek. 

Yada rushes to his aid, penalty kicking her back to her feet, giving herself a bigger target to hit. Unfortunately, all of her next attempts are blocked with ease, as the woman sees a perfect opportunity when Yada tries for another backhand strike with her remaining baton. When that happens, she pivots in the same direction as the weapon coming for her, and then wraps her arm around it, with her opposite-side, inner elbow enveloping the exposed grip. Moving the arm forward causes Yada’s grip to weaken from unnatural prying between the limb and back, forcing her to let go of the nightstick. The woman then takes Yada by her ponytail, pulling her around so that they face each other. The CFO naturally gravitated her hands toward her mane, leaving her ribcage vulnerable again - this time to a powerful elbow smash. 

Yada gave a shrill cry in pain, with the bones involved only one degree away from breaking. She doesn’t get to collapse on herself to apply pressure either, as the woman claims her throat in her hand and rises up, allowing her own proper standing to lift the CFO off the ground. To prevent her own weight from suffocating herself (on top of the infiltrator’s own compression of her neck), she swung her feet to wedge onto the lady’s thighs, providing leverage to push away from the choke. A second later, she succeeds, slipping out and falling onto her back, inhaling sharply to regain lost oxygen. 

Kato took over for the moment again, having acquired the discarded nightstick formerly belonging to his wife and hitting the assailant on the neck with it. Unfortunately, a scuffle’s worth of abuse has taken its toll on the weapon, and it breaks from the Chairman’s enhanced strength. The woman, like before, hardly bows her head from the impact and mule kicks him, pushing him back despite his block (tossing aside the fragment while doing so). When she approaches him, the latter delivers a low left roundhouse kick, targeting the popliteal. This was caught in a pinch of the two muscles by the woman, but thankfully this was the intention for Kato then put his lower leg in front of her instep, completing the final stage of a drop toehold. 

What he did not anticipate however was that the woman would completely resist a legscissor, and then spin out so that Kato had no leverage for the motion, and effectively left him lying down while facing her standing right above. A Double-Foot Stomp was in the works from that position, but Kato manages to twist his chest out of the way, and end up perpendicularly behind her. He takes advantage by attempting his common schoolboy-rollup, which he would follow with a superkick or roundhouse to the face. Unfortunately, leg strength continued to prevail for his opponent, who resisted the unorthodox sweep, and stepped twice around Kato’s protruding arm, claiming it and falling back for the cross armbreaker. 

Kato performed a hitchhiker to eliminate the woman’s leverage and braced for a one-shoulder powerbomb. But as he had her halfway up into the air, the woman temporarily abandoned her attempts at breaking arms and choking and proceeded to claw her hand onto Kato’s face, almost poking out both of his eyes. When she instead met skin, she cut her losses - literally, creating gashes and deallocating his strength, dropping her, and falling right back into her arm-trap triangle.

Realizing her husband could not escape the submission the second time, Yada delivered a punt kick to the side of the lady’s head, breaking up the hold. Her attempts to magnify her power caused her to forego any cautious measures, evident by her leaping a bit into the air and not immediately repositioning to face her target. This made it possible for the woman, yet again no-selling the headshot and turned to face her in roughly the same way Kato did. Unlike that time, though, she acted first, front-kicking both of her shins and cutting Yada’s support, making her fall forward on her face. 

Fortunately, she would be caught before she hit the ground. Unfortunately, she was caught by her neck, choking her anew. And to refuse her the advantages of leg-wedging as was used before, the woman slammed her onto the ground (which exacerbated her rib injuries further, too) and took a modified side mount, preventing Yada’s flailing legs from reaching her. Kato recovered to try and break it up, but the woman saw it and punched him in the crotch again while pushing him over, returning to her choke.

Yada gagged and resisted, trying to pry some fingers applying the compression for small-joint manipulation, getting her own fingers in the way of the palm and her trachea, and bridging to remove the downward force’s base. But seconds went by as quickly for her as hours, and she was beginning to fade...

*THWACK THWACK.*

Suddenly, the pressure around Yada’s neck was released, and the woman fell onto their side right next to her. When Kato and Yada recover enough, they take notice of who just saved their hides - Naoko!

=OST fades.=

“Yeah, no. Distressed doesn’t suit you two.” The Ministry of Defense Agent claimed, marginally relaxing her aim with her Shock-Out-modified Beretta.

“Naoko!” Yada coughed out, grimacing again right afterward and clutching her side.

“Can’t win them all.” Kato reacted, rising to his feet and stretching his neck to eliminate its earlier strain.

“Not on your own. But I’m glad you understood that.” Naoko quipped further before noticing that one of her best friends was not getting up from the floor. She keeps her sights up while taking a knee next to her. “Yada! What’s ailing you?” She questioned.

“Ribcage damage. That woman’s got deceptively intense punching power. We underestimated it early and paid the price.” Kato answered on his wife’s behalf.

“You? Underestimating the enemy? Another thing that doesn’t suit you.” She looked up at him with skepticism.

The time done to puzzle her is taken advantage of, however, when a projectile flies at Naoko’s pistol hand, knocking the firearm out of her grip. When it settled on the ground next to the skating handgun, it’s revealed to be an untied boot. 

The Chairman and the Defense agent both turn back towards the foe, only to find an expandable, obscuring sheet fly towards them like a thrown trampoline. Kato reacts immediately, dropkicking the center of the cloth to immediately bring it out of their field of vision. Behind the curtain was the woman, who had ripped out the electric bullets off of her and ran to the other edge. They both gave pursuit, until she fearlessly leaped off. While in mid-air, she quickly pulled out some arm coverings which converted into a hang glider, sailing away from the medical center. Naoko was keen on utilizing her own wingsuit properties to give pursuit, but Kato held out his arm before her, as they then noticed something else happen to the woman going towards the distance; In a couple seconds, cloaking technology made her blend seamlessly into the bright sky and buildings, like she was never there.

“Smart camo that is perfectly dynamic to changing situations, and does it faster than Octo-Ink? Kato, what were you two just dealing with?” Naoko asked him ominously. 

Unfortunately, all that the CEO could do was watch in horrified awe.

=OST ends.=


	5. Threatening Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The NTT Medical Center attack looks to only be the tip of the iceberg for the AssUniv Community and the Kato Alliance, as it is found that all the other loved ones of the formerly Class 3-E are under attack by the new enemy. Kurahashi in particular has fired off a distress signal - one that Yada most certainly cannot refuse to answer.
> 
> We just hope it's not too late.

In the hour that followed, Kato and Naoko helped Yada up and cut down a traumatized, but unbroken Akihisa. TMPD, Ministry of Defense, and the Kato Alliance all mobilized on the NTT Medical Center, fortifying the facility and apprehending the rest of the currently unknown infiltrators. Unfortunately, nobody was able to get much out of them, as some used their last moments of consciousness to break their fake teeth and munch on their kill pills. The rest had somehow lost their tongues (explosively) during consciousness, as some KAM lieutenants found out when taking two of them to be chair-tied in a closet and ordering them to speak. It was good that they were in a hospital to get that looked at, at least.

“Arms up, Yada.” Kato instructed, waiting for her to comply before unrolling bandages that wrapped around his wife’s mid-level torso. She silently winced due to her pain-induced sensitivity, but made it through the procedure without excess reactions.

“Thanks, Kato.” Yada acknowledged, replacing her t-shirt after her husband assured her it was over with a shoulder tap.

“Thank you for coming for me, Touka. And you too, Kaz and Naoko.” Akihisa, back in a wheelchair, exhibited his own gratitude.

“Wouldn’t happen to be keen on showing off all of that kinesio tape all over again, will you Yada?” The agent rhetorically asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

“Outgrew it when I reached the end of my conditioning training with Kato and Miho. That being said, it wouldn’t be too bad to use once these bandages begin to get cumbersome.” The CFO answered back. “Speaking of, Naoko, it is a welcome surprise that you showed up again. I take it you knew we were on the roof when you saw one of my nightsticks fall over the edge of the medical center?” She refocused.

“Cop mentioned it dropped right in front of him while securing the perimeter outside. Knew that meant either or both of you, and thus ran up the curtain wall to swiftly interject myself into the situation.” Naoko confirmed.

“Much appreciated.” Both Yada siblings grinned in response.

“The levity is nice, ladies and gentleman, but we must get serious again.” Kato cautioned them, also closing the room’s door to isolate their conversation to just themselves.

“I get that you think you were the true target in this convoluted exchange, Kato.” Akihisa confessed to the rest. “I would’ve been long dead three times over if all they wanted was me. But they kept me alive instead, and I bet that was to ensure you would come along rather than plan out the retreat and revenge.”

“I would never let something like this happen to you again, Aki.” Yada assured her younger brother, reinforcing the statement by holding his hand firmly. She then turned to the rest of her peers. “But you are right; they probably picked you as opposed to any of the Alliance’s sleeper patients because they knew I would be here, and I would absolutely urge Kato to go above and beyond to help save you. Because of course I would - it’s my sibling on the line.”

“It’s as if they either wanted you to care too much, or not at all.” Naoko spoke.

“Exactly. Which sets them apart from many others we’ve dealt with before.” Kato gazed at the rest again, albeit with far more concern.

“How so?” Akihisa queried.

“Past enemies had a material ambition, and they would stop at nothing to get to it, like Machida and Nakajima. But if it was along the way, they wouldn’t say no to taking me down a peg. This crew is different - their goal may outright be to ruin me. Make me literally comparable to a demon, a doom magnet, a-” He hesitated.

“A what?” Yada wondered aloud.

“A traitor and a liar.” Kato grit his teeth uneasily.

Naoko noticed the inflated reaction to those claims as opposed to the previous ones.

“So a petty grudge? That’s all they’re after?” Akihisa asked.

“Just a hypothesis. But it holds weight that they certainly could have staged a hit anywhere else and waited until I showed up. No, they wanted it exactly like this.” Kato looked away again, closing his eyes.

Yada noticed his further reticence. “Speak; there’s more.” She demanded.

“Could be, could not be. I sent-” Kato began again.

But before he could conclude, a knock on the closed door sounded.

“Nylen.” Kato identified as a part of the sentence, then looked towards the door like the rest. “Come in.”

The Swede hastily opened and closed the threshold, and just as quickly bowed to them all before starting up. “Chairman sir, I finished up the file scan at the Tokyo B Crash Site and rushed here as fast as I could.”

The CFO then turned inquisitively to the CEO. “The eponymous Crash Site is an FTP?”

Katalina looked up with confusion. “Boss, does Yada not know about that yet?”

Kato only shook his head in response. “One of a set of dead drop access locations. Rotating-encrypted datasticks that are viewed and updated solely on NFC-only virtual machines, then placed within the hulls of Japan’s transit cars, to be discovered and worked with in monthly cycles by fellow KAM employees.”

“Why was that a secret? What were on those disks?” Naoko briefly glanced at Yada before questioning him further.

“Account numbers for bank accounts that constitute approximately,” He checked his watch. “At this time, 67% of the accumulated wealth of the Akamine Clan. Yuuji had entrusted me with their savings and investments after a recent stock crash in the Western hemisphere.” He explained concisely.

“And...?” Yada saw through his dodging.

Kato sighed. “What was copied, Kat?” He asked.

The Alliance Captain gulped. “The locations of Assassination University’s members and their loved ones.” She conceded.

With that being made public, the other three went cold in response.

“Is... That why they knew exactly what floor I was on? Despite all of the relocating the staff does?” Akihisa asked.

“It would be the only explanation, as much as I fear to admit.” Kato solemnly answered.

“And you mean to tell us the rest of our friends’ whereabouts are also on those disks?” Naoko requested confirmation. 

“Yes.” Kato checked his watch again. “As of three days ago.”

“Kato...” Yada rose up with an utterly appalling look on her face. “How could... You really-?” She couldn’t immediately muster a reaction.

Kato could do little but stand still at attention as his wife trembled forward in disbelief.

“Why did you do it? And hide it from me?” She successfully pushed through a question.

“I made a promise to JASDF Chief of Staff Karasuma... A year back. To watch over the lot of you on his behalf. I thought it best, because it worked so well for me before, that the ones who were being protected didn’t know about it. Which was why I didn’t tell you, Yada. Because you, Akihisa, and your parents are on the line there.”

“Goddamnit, you can be such a stupid idiot sometimes!” Yada cursed, slapping him across the face. “Were you ever going to tell me this if it worked well?”

“Once it was over.” Kato felt his reddening cheek.

“Oh yeah? Perhaps you thought the Kingslayer Crisis and filling me in on all of those semantics was you buying a freebie to not tell me the next thing that pops up?” The CFO suggested vehemently.

“No, come on Yada. You know perfectly well I wouldn’t trade to get opportunities not to tell you stuff. You think I wanted to hide all of this from you?” Kato countered.

“Then you should’ve given that more thought! How do you think we feel, when you try to play mastermind to our lives?” Yada argued back.

“Enough.” Naoko went between the married couple, pulling them apart. “Kato, you’re not off the hook for this intrusion, despite all your good intentions. Not to mention your actions seem to have only made it that much easier for the enemy to get to all of us. But speaking of ‘all of us,’ that’s what we must worry about most right now.”

“Yes. Which is why I moved to Emergency Protocol Zeta-Zeta. All sleeper agents of the Kato Alliance operating in the vicinity of AssUniv’s members and associates had been called into action to bring them into protective custody.” The Chairman noted.

“And how is that going?” Akihisa wondered aloud.

“My brothers don’t give word until two hours after the extraction process, in which they can ensure their communication systems would not be traced. We’re not to receive until...” Kato checked his watch. But it wouldn’t matter, for someone else was going to finish for him.

“... Not for another fifty minutes, at least.” Yada turned back to her brother.

“Okay. I’m going to tidy things up here, and then ensure Karasuma and Irina are good too. May even order the prison warden to grant my crazy mother a solitary cell for the time being. After that, I’m going to facilitate the process of reuniting our pals.” Naoko announced.

“We’re getting the band back together? For such a dangerous troupe?” Kato requested confirmation of his own.

“They struck us at our core, Kato. We’re not going to sit on our asses inside a submarine or a mountain cave while they look to the ends of the Earth for us. No - we’re going to be hunting them back.” The field agent asserted.

Kato was going to mention something to counteract that, but Yada’s judging glare stopped him. “Very well. I’ll make sure all of us make it through to start that mission.”

“You do that.” Naoko concluded their interactions, taking out her phone and stepping outside, leaving the other three in the patient suite.

_ What did you want to remain a secret? The fact that this was only a reality check as opposed to what they really want, or that the two-hour timeframe has already passed? _ The Chairman queried the CFO.

Yada held her mouth with both shame and anguish, pressing her head onto her husband’s chest.  _ I don’t know, Kato. This is truly uncharted territory we’re treading upon now; there’s no telling what they might do to our friends and family if they aren’t properly protected. _

_ Then, the outburst, _ Kato checked his watch.  _...Minutes ago? _

_ Don’t get me wrong, I’m still really mad at you. _ Yada confirmed her stance when she renewed her ticked stare straight into his eyes.  _ But Naoko is right - alienating you is not going to help anybody, so for now, all of our focus should be on stopping this debacle before it gets any further out of hand. _ She further stated.

_ Gotcha. _ Kato nodded in agreement.

“What are you guys doing? Is there something in the eyes of either of you?” Akihisa, unaware of the extent of KAM’s microcommunications technology, puzzlingly observed.

_ Oh-! _ Yada turned back to her brother. “We’re speaking through a neural interface, Aki. Thoughts heard by only the two of us. Hayami and Chiba helped us calibrate the tech, thanks to their breakthroughs in discovering the synergy inherent within silence.” She explained briefly.

He widened his eyes with impressment. “Wow. It all makes sense then.” He snarked. What didn’t make sense, though, was when the two spouses then simultaneously went tense, and then they closed their right eyes while their left went to the top-right corner (from his perspective to them). “And what is this?” He asked further.

“We got a call from a device that has automatic linking to our comms system.” Yada elaborated even more. She then looked to Kato as she pulled out her bluetooth earpiece.  _ This wasn’t how they were supposed to reach us. _

_ Plans have been going out the window... Recently, Yada. _ Kato noted, taking out his own.  _ Right now, the only way to find out what’s legit is to take a small leap of faith. _ He then slowly pressed the answer call button on the machine, prompting Yada to do the same.  _ King. _

_ Kato! _ A feminine voice very familiar to both him and his wife whispered, causing the latter two to widen their eyes in realization.

“Kurahashi?!” Yada identified the caller. “How are you? And your parents?”

_ We’re well and safe... For now. Some burly, mean-looking men and women are after us, though, and I don’t know why.  _ Kurahashi responded, bringing some brief relief to Yada.

“Did they have any distinguishing clothing? Logos? Spoke with off-accents?” The CFO inquired with her.

_ No, they did their homework on spy work. All I had was my gut... And the guts of a bunch of Kato’s colleagues who came pretty much out of nowhere to help me and my family get out of dodge. _ The biology specialist acknowledged.

“Yes Kurahashi, those must be a bunch of my fixer agents that have been carefully watching you. From a respectful distance, I might add. Where are they now, for that matter? They should be contacting my reception team for this kind of procedure.” Kato noted.

Then there was a moment’s silence from the other line.

“Kurahashi?” Yada repeated her name to confirm she was still available.

“Kato-kun, they’re gone. They helped us find a safe room, informing us of a safe passage to a second shelter, and the existence of some countermeasures we could utilize if the enemy faction begins to get smart... But they got fragged while trying to draw their attention. They sacrificed themselves while ensuring we got into the clear. I’m sorry, Kato. Truly.” She managed to tragically inform him.

The Chairman stared straight ahead with significant dismay. Yada empathically noticed. “They did their duty to the end. I’m grateful for their great service.” He remarked before long. “No safe room is safe for too long, even with a second route. Can you discreetly leave that site and head to section B, Kurahashi?” He questioned.

“I don’t think so, Kato. Not on my own. I feel as though they’re breathing down my neck as we speak. And piano wire’s already on every public exit.” She cautiously mentioned. “And, forgive me on my behalf to the rest of your allies, Kato, but I don’t think I can open the door and accept aid from anyone I don’t recognize at this point. Too much is at stake for me to perform such an action without uncertainty.” She added on sorrowfully.

“Then we’ll have no choice but to personally help you escape. Us personally.” Yada proposed. “Sound good for you, Kurahashi?”

“You’d do that for me? Against a force as unknowingly terrifying as this? I could not live with myself if you met a similar fate.” She expressed her preoccupation.

“Of course I'd do this for you, Kurahashi. And I appreciate the concern but clearly your needs far outweigh ours right now.” The CFO assured her friend.

“What’s the word for the others?” The biologist interrogated.

“We’re still waiting on a message from the rest of them, which is as planned.” Kato looked at his watch while answering. “But even so, we cannot be in two places at once, so we’ll help you settle things so that we can reunite. So, what’s your K-oordinates?” He questioned back.

“Okay. I know better than most not to try and sway you stubborn love-birds once it’s all but set in stone. Alright, let me just get my calculator out and I’ll text you...” Kurahashi finally capitulated, rummaging through her nearby contents for the aforementioned device.

Minutes later, the special system of determining latitudes and longitudes arrived onto Kato and Yada’s tactical contact lenses, and with it they had their heading. Yada embraced Akihisa deeply before departing, assuring him that he would be well and truly in good hands this time while the dilemma unfolds. Naoko was also still at NTT Medical Center, and Yada explained the situation with Kurahashi to her. Despite Naoko’s insistence to join in, Kato mentioned she had her own goals to accomplish, not to mention tending to their rendezvous site once AssUniv was back together, and so the former reluctantly bowed out of the coming operation. Kato and Yada went back to the latter’s loft to get a replacement copy of their clothes and replenish their paraphernalia in preparation. Exactly thirty minutes later, they were heading off to a private airfield.

Their aerial trip would take roughly forty-five minutes, taking them to Aomori Prefecture. Rather than lock in a pair of private jet spots on the aircraft, however, Kato and Yada stowed away inside the storage, knowing that the seemingly omniscient foe they’ve been dealing with would be looking for ways to deal with them before they would even land. Once the craft did reach its destination, the two leaped out from the opening caused by the landing gear and “borrowed” a ground worker’s Toyota Camry to leave the airport undetected. Their next destination now that they were on the ground? Aomori Central Park.

About twenty minutes later, a similar Camry arrives at the outskirts of the federal tract, and a medical-masked, hooded couple comes out to trek the paths and enjoy themselves around the green grass and gardens.

Apparently the lack of facial identification, despite the Japanese interests and culture in comfortable clothings and stylized facecovers, was too suspicious for another pair of more, as they’d say, confidently-dressed individuals, who stood up from a bench to follow them... silenced pistols in hand. But not for long.

When the four cut a corner and get into the tall shrubs’ pathways, they are almost immediately ambushed afterwards from behind, though they could hardly tell given that their assailants were invisible... Not to mention the victims were unconscious before they knew it. Thus, from the ambushers’ perspective, Kato dealt with his adversary with a leaping 12-6 elbow smash down onto the top of the latter’s skull. The sudden, extreme head trauma freezes all of his actions, dropping the pistol in the meantime, and rendering him unable to resist getting caught in the Chairman’s inverted facelock, exposing his solar plexus for another 12-6 elbow with his other arm, which fully incapacitates the man so that a little punt knocks him into hiding within the hedge’s foliage. Yada meanwhile pulled back on the barrel of the firearm, preying on the wrist’s general inability to handle downward motions in vertical position. As such, little leverage was necessary to strip the adversary of his weapon, but she had no time to lament for Yada delivered an elbow swing to her nape. She then stomped the popliteal to force her to bow, and then finished her with a forehand pistol whip to the crown. Like Kato, she had to dispose of the unconscious body by cravate-suplexing them into leaves before they completely slumped over, though she also had the extra task of disassembling a lethal weapon, which she did by emptying the magwell, tearing out the slide, and tossing the parts away.

Another pair of handgun-wielding mooks arrive at another entrance of the green tunnels, and do not take long to meet the same fate as their earlier cohorts. The CEO tapped his target on the left shoulder and waited for him to look back that way. Once they did, he immediately switches to their right, forearm-uppercutting the matching leg to force a trip and making them fall onto their neck. Kato ensures they are taken out with a huge stomp onto their face that sandwiches all of their head onto the concrete. Another punt puts this one into the opaque plants. Yada deals with her victim by hammerlocking the weapon arm, ensuring that it could not point at her as she delivers a shoulder check to the upper back while holding onto the barrel with the opposite hand, forcing another strip. Yada then backhand pistol-whips them across the eyes when they turn back, and hoists their stray leg up so that they would fly into the hedge (their dismantled pistol follows them, too).

Four more noticed that their fellow field agents were not responding to radio calls, so they decided not to continue pursuing until their designated couple was out of the hedge maze, guaranteeing no malevolent surprises. Half a minute later, the masked pair did complete their trip through the tunnel. Reasonably believing they are responsible for the loss of their comrades, all four leave their deep cover to strike in tandem. On each side, one of their cohorts were almost struck by recreational flying objects coming at them (on one side, an errant-thrown frisbee, and the other, a dart gun projectile). This caused them to break from their pacing alongside their colleagues, creating a gap. Kato and Yada, still Octo-Ink cloaked, use that moment to send Shock-Pads at the unaware duo so that they can deal with the distracted ones. Kato hip tosses his victim overboard by the weapon arm, making them land on their face. Kato pacifies him with a arm-trapped knee drop bulldog, crushing his face into the ground. Yada went for a wrist twist followed by a high knee to the reverse palm while holding the gun barrel for another tactical strip. Her leaping strike gives her space to properly focus the stolen firearm at its original owner. Witnessing his surrender, Yada dashes in with a Superman 12-6 pistol-whip to the man’s temple.

The two they shocked on either side were not down just yet, though, as they turned around with strain to face Kato and Yada. They both acted quickly, performing a standing switch to end up behind them once again. Kato followed this up with an inverted double-leg takedown, which puts the enemy onto the ground face-first. He finishes them with a double-foot stomp onto their crown, so that their eyes got a good look at the pavement. Yada again targeted the firearm, pressing the release button to empty the magwell and stealing the magazine for herself. She delivers a back elbow to the neck with her free hand for an additional stun while turning him around into her standing facelock. She finishes him off with a kidney strike using the magazine’s bottom while in the hold, allowing him to involuntarily sandbag out of it.

With that, the entire park was saved from the enigmatic enemies. 

“Thanks for the help, Jack and Jill. It was very valuable misdirection.” Yada complimented the masked and hooded couple.

“We should be thanking you; we knew they were going to be trouble for someone. They had to go.” “Jill” explained.

“Sure enough. They’re not all gone, though; this is probably just the faction’s skeleton crew for their infiltration.” Kato forewarned. 

“You must be joking.” “Jack” interjected.

“He’s dead serious, I’m afraid.” The CFO affirmed the CEO’s statement.

“Why would they send an army into Aomori?” Jill wondered.

“Because they know that’s what it takes to get what they want.” Yada answered back.

“It’s best you pay a wide berth for the rest of today. We anticipate that by then, this mess will be over.” Kato advised, while also pulling out four one-inch-radius rolls of ten-thousand yen notes “Your cut for your active participation.” He tossed two to each of the duo.

“Well regardless, we know you’ll do something about it. So for that, we’re grateful.” Jack acknowledged, putting his payment into his jacket’s inner pocket.

“Go kick some ass.” Jill did the same and bowed, which Jack copied. Kato and Yada nodded as well and so they parted ways.

_ We may have gouged most of their eyes, but some may grow back. Not to mention they still have good noses. _ Yada spoke through micro-comms to her husband. But then her mind flickered.  _ We can use those across-the-block passes to trick them, can’t we? _ She proposed.

_ Bingo. The closest one would happen to be inside of a small-business massage parlor, which would lead us into the wine cellar of an Italian-style restaurant three blocks away.  _ Kato then had a good thought of his own.  _ I do believe that one houses ten Quilceda Creek 2010 Vintage bottles out of pride. Wouldn’t be too mad to say we could take one to have nips after we’ve washed our hands of the debacle? _ Kato smirked.

_ Sight’s too low, Kato. I was thinking of a bottle of Screaming Eagle 1992. _ She held her hip with playful condescension at him.

_ This... Is why I want you in my life.  _ He admitted.

_ So you don’t have to think about the formalities that hard? You’ve been relaxing quite a lot since Kazuhiro and I took up much of the financials.  _ Yada cracked a truly genuine grin for the first time since all of this bad news, smacking him on the chest as she moved ahead. She turned back for him to lead the way afterwards, which he complied to.

_ Not relaxed quite enough, as you’ll see. _ He joked back, taking point in their stroll.

Yada took a beat again.  _ Speaking of Kazuhiro, are you not concerned if he’s become a target too? _ She queried worryingly.

_ He’s no stranger to being hunted. But he also has some of my finest safeguarding him in a government mansion-slash-embassy, so priority protection goes to AssUniv.  _ Kato assured her.

_ A relief. We’ll make sure our loved ones get the same.  _ Yada declared.

A minute later, the duo walk into the aforementioned massage parlor, and after a quick little situation with the man in charge...

“It’s high time somebody gave you a stimulating set of chops to the neck and made you feel relaxed in return...” Yada spoke soothingly to the head masseuse, with his head resting on her lap and being stroked gently with her hand. The man’s reddened nape indicated her knife hand having struck well and true, which would explain his calm slumber. Kato came back into the secluded break room from what appeared to be a toiletries closet and silently informed her of their next heading.

Kato had utilized one of their mud shovels to break one of the walls, which turned out to be concealing a hollow passageway downwards to an otherwise inaccessible basement tunnel. When they reached the other side, Kato slid a gigantic wine shelf-rack over the exit, and then led the way out... After Yada pulled him away from the aforementioned Quilceda Creek. 

With a quick change of clothes from a backpack Yada claimed behind the shelf that they moved, they exit the restaurant perfectly incognito. 

Doing as little as possible to no longer stand out, Kato and Yada stroll to the K-oordinates Kurahashi had given them... Which puts them at a for-rent building that has far too many windows for any sort of clandestine operation to be happening within.

_ This cannot be it, Kato. Did Kura-  _ Yada began questioning again, until Kato walked forward, interrupting her.

_ Of course it isn’t. This is the final security measure.  _ Kato concurred, before forming a Balllistic Shield out of his left forearm’s KAM AtTac suit and rammed the sharp edge into a slitted opening in the staircase that looked to be made through erosion. When Kato pressed upwards in a crowbar-like motion, a storage alcove was revealed; inside was a small, custom-tooled radio. Kato tossed it to his wife, who inspected it a bit, finding only one small black button on it. When pressed, their tactical lenses received notifications. Analyzing it exposes a special RFID ping that the radio is happening across, transcending all of the other signals that map the city.  _ That will be where they actually are. _ He finished.

_ Of course. _ She acknowledged, deactivating her lens.  _ Did Kurahashi already know about all of these extra security measures from the moment she got there, or- _

_ Yada. Like yourself, she didn’t know she was being tailed by my colleagues, or that the safehouse even existed prior to this catastrophe. My blood-brothers and sisters naturally informed her of the procedure she must follow once she and her loved ones arrived. _ Kato earnestly responded.  _ You can see it, right?  _ He asked anxiously.

Yada looked aside for a moment before sighing.  _ Yeah... If we were against anyone else, then this would work like a charm. _ She conceded.  _ When we get everyone together, I’ll see if that calms us down. _

_ That would be very appreciated. _ Kato noted. They both then followed the radar to the final destination. 

It would take another four minutes of walking, but they reached the location. Descending down the cellar doors leading them into the underground section of a long-abandoned small-business distillery. Shutting the aforementioned doors seemingly causes all of the lights below to turn on, ominously illuminating their new surroundings.

“I have a question for you all.” A disembodied voice calls out to the two intruders.

“Kurahashi? It’s us!” Yada 

“Masks and voice modulators aplenty these days. I need more proof of you.” The biology specialist bounced back before continuing. “So to my query, Yada - When we were in Kunugigaoka, how did I dramatically cost our class the victory in the basketball tourney during the sports festival?” She asked her alleged best friend.

Yada scoffed. “Trick question. Yukimura cost us that match due to being unable to block the final score when she caught sight of the center’s large chest size.” She responded.

“...Good. Now Kato: when did it happen, what was it, and where did I pull out of-slash-from Kendrick’s midsection after her experiment to synthesize her heart surgery tools in anticipation for Okuda and Takebayashis’ universal, artificial blood type initially went wrong?” She asked further.

Kato checked his watch to recall what would have been the first time Kendrick’s scientific venture went awry. “On April 2019, Kendrick wrote that you had surgically removed a small shard of a Security T-headed 8x32 screw, colored military green.” He answered.

A few seconds later, Kurahashi popped out from the ceiling, clad in her KAM AtTac suit while dissipating the mask and hood portion to see her colleagues with her own eyes. “Thank the Gods for you two.” She relievingly sighed. 

Yada immediately came into Kurahashi’s arms as they both embraced. “It sure brightens my day to see you alive and well, Kurahashi.” She admitted.

“Oh yeah?” The smaller of the AssClass ladies rhetorically requested repetition.

“Your resplendent debut is certainly welcome for me too.” Kato smirked.

“Sweet words are always welcome.” Kurahashi admitted, but refocused once the hug let go. Yada couldn’t help but notice something about the conclusion, however. “But what would be even better right now is that we can get my family and I out of the city safely and seek refuge under your umbrella. Kato, I take it that you have a foolproof plan?”

“Well it depends on which directive my late comr-” Kato began to inform her, but was then nudged mid-sentence by Yada.

“Maybe we should see your family first, Kurahashi. Ensure they have not been bugged by the enemy prior to bringing them here.” She interrupted him.

“We can see them, but I doubt for that reason; I used Kato’s tech to root out all of the possible transponders.” She began leading the way.

“They can be timed-release trackers; no pings to locate. And with a callused lining, X-ray wouldn’t find it either, making it impossible to notice without hospital-level deep analysis.” Yada informed her. “Thankfully, if we’re in time, we can find and get rid of them before they give away the safehouse.” She added on.

“Plausible. Okay.” Kurahashi proceeded without further questioning.

_ Something off? _ The Chairman asked his CFO silently.

_ Very. _ Yada answered.  _ Keep note of any bluffs. _

_ Maybe it’s best you know some more stuff about this place then...  _ Kato inferred.

Roughly a minute later, they had descended down one more staircase to reach the safehouse’s bottom level. 

“If I might ask, Kurahashi.” Yada started up again. “I know you said you’re not quite trusting anyone but fellow AssClass members, but you were definitely introduced to the nigh-invincible, and equally loyal Miho and Satoshi. Any reason you didn’t ask for them?”

“They are pretty special folk. Which is all the more reason that they must be out doing something really important for the Kato Alliance, right Kato?” The smallest AssUniv member quickly considered.

“Sure.” Kato glanced at his timekeeper once more. “Campaigns in the Indian Ocean along with a sizable regiment of fellow blood-brothers and sisters right now. But you and all of AssUniv are the only non-Alliance associates to be able to override their current directive and respond to your situations. Unless I override the override, which I certainly wouldn’t be doing right now.” He confirmed.

“News to me, quite honestly. But above all else, if I couldn’t depend on you two to come pick me up, who could I depend on? Karasuma? Irina?” Kurahashi questioned back, before taking a moment. “Perhaps I could, but that’s beside the point.”

“Speaking of points, I guess you made a good one. Sorry for bringing it up; let’s just carry on.” The CFO pushed the matter down so that they could continue.

Twenty-five seconds later, they reached the end of the line; a titanium bar-reinforced door that wouldn’t be out of place as a vault hatch for a bank. Not that it was for a confirmed safehouse for assets and allies of the Kato Alliance, but...

“Here is where my parents, two aunts, and crazy uncle Ryogi are being kept. This sucker can survive an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, right Kato?” Kurahashi requested affirmation.

“Yes, the sucker can. But spending the entire cataclysm's duration in there still wouldn’t be very pleasant regardless.” Kato acknowledged.

“Kurahashi... Where are they really?” Yada broke the seemingly feigned lightheartedness, with a hint of desolation in her tone..

“What do you mean? They’re in there.”

“No they’re not, Kurahashi. Stop lying.”

“Why would I be lying?”

“Why indeed. We’d like to know, too. Though I reckon we now have our answer.” Kato spoke, much to Yada’s increasing melancholy.

“I’m not lying!”

“We can’t see them.” Yada shook her head.

“Of course you can’t. Kato obviously wouldn’t allow any of his vision faculties to intrude on his security measures, yeah?”

“She wasn’t referring to your loved ones, Kurahashi.”

“Wh-”

“Something we can always see is the controls to allow us to see through that door, Kurahashi. If we pull over the lead-infused carpet and use infrared. And the rug has been displaced, but the controls remain invisible. Kurahashi, why is this?” Yada practically pleaded for a comforting response.

“What controls? Your colleagues never mentioned anything like-”

Kato then shot with one of his Kimber Warrior Mk. III pistols at the allegedly concrete ground. Instead of the ballistic making a crack in the composite material and bouncing right off, it instead went right through the surface and made a hole straight through a wooden board painted like the ground. “Hm, a lead sheet directly underneath the hollow lid. Which is why we couldn’t see it. But why would you hide it from us?” He queried.

For the first time during this conversation, Kurahashi could not pull through with an answer, fumbling through isolated words and trying to piece them together.

“Kurahashi... Please. Tell me. Us. Where are they?” Yada implored to know. 

“They are,” Kurahashi coughed a bit before she could finish. “In there.”

“Open it then.” Yada ordered.

“Okay.” The biology specialist proceeded to the metallic structure and worked the keypad before spinning the lever and prying it open.

Kato and Yada’s expressions upon seeing what was inside continued to flabbergast them.


	6. Action-Reaction Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurahashi's secret is revealed. And Kato and Yada are none too pleased about what it entails.
> 
> Our first true glimpse at this new enemy's field-leader, it is absolutely crystal-clear that this will be much, much harder than anything the Kato Alliance and THE AssUniv Program has ever dealt with before.

Within the safehouse’s vault that Kurahashi had just opened... Was not one single soul in sight. Nor were there any cadavers that souls would’ve belonged to.

“Kurahashi... Tell me there is another passage we have to take. Right Kato?” Yada, on the verge of despair, beseeched for answers. 

“An additional measure beyond this one is a measure that I lament I know nothing about.” The Chairman solemnly admitted. 

“Kurahashi, you must have made it then, yes? After you saw firsthand what you were facing?” She suggested instead.

When Kurahashi continued to remain silent, Kato stepped forth and held his wife’s close shoulder. “Yada.” He muttered.

“You best get with the program, woman.” A stray, fourth voice announced.

The abrupt, unanticipated interjection alarms Kato and Yada; the former of which scopes out the area using the iron sights of his Kimber.

“Stop!” Kurahashi turned around swiftly, brandishing a Taurus PT100 Inox pistol and pointing it at her two longtime friends. 

Yada’s noticeable hyperventilation deepens and her pupils dilate. Kato notices the barrel staring at him, and knows that even he couldn’t beat a well-trained assassin’s finger speed to answer the draw. 

“Don’t. Please - for all of our sakes.” Kurahashi begged. Her aim with the sidearm had the slightest hint of shaking as she spoke. 

Kato complied, tossing aside his handgun, along with the other three in his possession.

“Yada.” Kurahashi implicitly ordered her fellow peer to do the same. After a couple more seconds, Yada unstrapped her Hudson and threw it to the wall. 

“I’m sorry, Kato and Yada.” Kurahashi’s aim continued to tremble. “But you were too late. My distress call was legit from start to finish, but hardly twenty minutes following, the enemy had uncovered this safehouse. I held them off as long as I could, but there was no stopping them completely. They got to this vault, cracked the code... And it was over.” The biology specialist recounted.

Now more than ever, the KAM CFO was distraught.

“I’m really sorry, you two. I love the both of you. But family has to come first. You understand that wholeheartedly.” The littlest AssUniv member affirmed.

“Yeah, we get it.” The CEO-Chairman flatly asserted. “What’s next?”

“I bring you in.” Kurahashi answered. “Before I do though - just let me also say that I don’t blame you two for not coming sooner; nobody could have prevented this conclusion so late into the running.” She finished.

“I will speak for Yada’s denial here and say that it would’ve been very difficult; not impossible. But it happened, and good on the enemy for doing so. But...” Kato began approaching Kurahashi, despite her still having her pistol trained on him. “I can promise you, Kurahashi, that this new force which has separated us from you, who wants you to hand me on a silver platter for good favor and security for your loved ones, will be destroyed.”

“Kato, please shut your Goddamn mouth. You’re making this-” The biologist attempted to interrupt his speech.

“However, Kurahashi, before I do that, I need you to do something for me: Curb your doubts.” The Chairman announced, taking one more step to make himself just a yard away from the nozzle of the Taurus. “If there is one shred of doubt inside of you that I am lying - that I cannot defeat this enemy and keep you and the rest of AssUniv safe - then you can just shoot me down right now.” He delivered the ultimatum.

“Kato, what are you doing?” Yada finally broke out of her internal BSoD to realize the new situation before her.

“The choice is yours, Kurahashi. And neither of us will judge you on that choice one way or the other. But it has to be made now, at,” He checked his watch. “Four-thirty-two P.M.” Kato then held out his hands, open and spread, confirming that he will not resist her pending ballistic.

“Always so long-winded and hammy, Kato... You sleazebag.” Kurahashi stated. But her handgun still didn’t fall. “I’m sorry.” She then pulled the trigger.

“NO!” Yada took a frantic step closer.

Despite the loud bang, though, no bullet hit Kato’s body.

Kurahashi quickly inspected her Taurus’ slide and barrel, then emptied out the magwell to claim the free magazine, realizing that she had just shot a blank.

“Just as I thought.” Kato spoke after, bringing his hands back down. “Where are those enemies I wonder, knowing full well that I would have a measure to deal with Kurahashi, and they could not guarantee that she could bring me and Yada in on her lonesome? No, that wasn’t the point of this scenario - they just wanted to test their new, reluctant ally.”

“Test Kurahashi?” Yada wondered aloud. By that point, a heavily-armored force, fifteen strong and brandishing Pindad SS2-V5C rifles stormed into the corridor, encircling the duo.

“Good job smelling the rat, Watsons.” One of the mercs complimented ironically to them, then glanced over to Kurahashi. “But perhaps you should’ve been more like Sherlocks and told your sympathies to fuck off entirely.” 

“Too little, too late, kids.” The first soldier spoke in layman’s terms. “Now let’s speak with your Moriarity.” He proceeded to manipulate his shoulder radio. Moments later, the device received some rather loud audio from another location.

“Hello? Is this thing on?” The new voice interrogated the floor. But only a second passed by before he spoke again anyways. “Ah, I’m only joking with all of you. Of course it’s on - this amazing microphone I’ve got has a light and an input gauge. Just cannot help myself with some good old TV stuff, though. They can get so many things wrong in the right ways.” He added on.

The Aomori team and AssUniv members hardly moved or changed expressions during this sudden mic night hour, however.

“So, Miss Kurahashi,” The voice refocused. “I appreciate that you had it in you to choose your blood ties first. It’s always good to know where everybody’s loyalties lie truly. But Kazuhiko is right in his deduction - this was merely an experiment. This was never about bringing him in - it was all to take him out quietly.” He confirmed.

And with that, all of the soldiers raised their rifles, just awaiting the order to open fire.

“Wait a minute!” Kurahashi threw her Taurus to the ground and held out her hand, halting them briefly. “You said that I could bring them in! So that you could see them!” She asserted.

“I did say that, Miss Kurahashi. But I never said ‘you will’. You see what I did there? You can; you have the ability to bring them in at the time, which makes the ‘can.’ That didn’t mean I wanted you to.” The voice continued on.

Realizing she was tricked even further, she stared at her two friends in horror.

“Do I get to speak my last rites?” Kato, with hands held at head-level, asked.

“Heh, if you insist.” The formless leader conceded.

“Sir, that isn’t the protocol of Har-” The same soldier analogizing the troupe with Sir Doyle’s characters spoke again.

“I know it isn’t. It doesn’t matter. This will end how we want to regardless.” The former interrupted him. “Carry on, dear Kazuhiko.”

“Right.” Kato cleared his throat. “Kurahashi, let me first say that neither Yada nor myself blame you for not believing me when I stated that promise; if you couldn’t already tell, this situation is far too close for comfort, even for me. But I will still be holding onto that promise nonetheless - I will stop at nothing to destroy this enemy.” He stated to his peers.

“Pfft. Some last rites...” The same mercenary spat.

The Chairman then turned his attention towards the eloquently outspoken radio. “And you. You, I would like to apologize to. And for.” He added. “To, because in spite of my best efforts, I have briefly devolved back to myself from-” He checked his watch again. “Seven years ago; a far too despondent adolescent who couldn’t handle all the changes of his personal status quo, and thus delivered a less than stellar field performance for the saboteurs. You want nothing more than the win when I am at my peak, for that is when the victory is absolute, but I’ve been refusing to give it to you. I can assure you that that is no longer the case... Because of why I am apologizing for you. For...” Kato then gave a sigh with closed eyes before opening them back up with Determination Bloodlust. “Because you have forsaken one of the key values that all members of the Kato bloodline hold dear...

**Kazuchika.”**

Kurahashi and Yada both become just a bit stiffer when they realize the detestation that emanates from Kazuhiko’s aura. The soldiers, though their expressions were hidden behind masks, still admitted preoccupation by completely focusing on Kato.

“I’m sorry.” Kazuchika interrupted the seconds-long atmospheric moment. “Was I supposed to be shaking in my boots? Let me remind everyone that I cannot see what he’s doing; only hear what he’s saying. Oh-! Did he cut one of yous’ testicles off? Is that it?” He suggested. “No? So it was his meek voice? Got it.”

“Jest as you wish, brother. But make no mistake that exploiting family bonds is not a light crime; one that a Kato must always be above. And to have committed it... Dooms you to mountainous repercussions.” Kazuhiko asserted.

“Hm... Well, there was some truth to your words.” The man on the other end continued to nonchalantly speak. “From that tone, I can tell that you’re really back this time. Hear that, boys? Kazuhiko Kato, the Daimyo of Divinity, the Rebuttal to Regicide, Peace’s Peerless Prince... Finally living up to his monikers.” He lavishly nicknamed his alleged sibling.

“Still pretty tiny, if you ask me.” The commander of the unit spat.

“That also means, men and women... He’s all yours.” Kazuchika stated. “By the way, Kazuhiko, you didn’t think all that stalling gave you time to work through our smartgun algorithm, did you?” He asked confidently.

“Of course not.” Kato admitted, much to Yada’s surprise, looking at all of the armed rifles still pointed at her and her husband. “It did allow me to retake control of my bulbs, though.” He countered.

Just like that, all of the ceiling lights shattered, taking the illuminance with it. Having swarmed their enemy in a circle, they naturally are hesitant to just open fire despite knowing that their foe couldn’t have gotten far, and immediately turn to their night-vision filter on their mask eye holes in an attempt to relocate them. Pity that the first thing that they had pinpointed was a lone flashbang, which was naturally pinless.

Kato and Yada ran out of the room, having now put on their AtTac suits and burning through their jackets while doing so. They were all the better for doing so, as the moment things inside the vault entrance didn’t go their way, Kazuchika’s men then hounded the staircase that the trio had gone down earlier, and opened fire, causing the duo to take cover behind an assortment of still-filled wine casks. Doubly fortunate for both parties that the distillery’s temperature control was long out of use too, as the heat of the ballistics in a highly warm room could have ignited the fermented alcohol when they pierce through the barrels.

 _That’s the only way through!_ Yada frantically acknowledged, as she took a lone metal pipe from behind one barrel and threw it at the ceiling towards the entrance to break the tile there. She just as quickly brought her right hand to her InReTs forearm pad so that she could activate a set of Stun-Net micromachines, which fell when the tile’s pieces did, causing the field to land on the heads of the leading five mercenaries, incapacitating them. 

_Yeah? Who said?_ Kato whispered back, as he then began pushing the cask that he was hiding behind closer towards Yada’s. This motion exposed a trapdoor that would lead to the drainage system for the barrels in case they had become contaminated. _We can follow the current until we happen upon a red-marked passage. We make a turn there and go through a closed-off room to escape._

 _I understand they could’ve patched up the exit of the facility, but are you certain it would be safe to exit through that room?_ The CFO reasonably wondered.

 _Not certain anything. Except that the real exit of the distillery isn’t an option._ The Chairman answered before ripping out the metal rim pieces and tossing them to activate the ceiling and walls in the same vein as Yada had. In his case, the foundation had produced a one-off each of high-impact concussive blasts, which took the soldiers in the vicinity off their feet and into the next nearest obstacle, incapacitating them. _The coast is clear! Let’s break for it!_ He turned back to his wife, who nodded. Kato went first to lift the hatch up, so that Yada could fall in through a slide, with Kato jumping in after, bringing the cap with him to close it discreetly.

Going down the dried-up slide has them eventually find the aforementioned red path, which the two then detoured into to leave. A minute afterwards, they had climbed out, having avoided the brunt of the attack party’s line of sight doing so, and taken an alternate set of stairs to return back to ground level. 

Said attack party was not without leaving some stragglers holding the fort in the regular cellar level, however, which Kato and Yada noticed across the isolated room walls. To deal with this, Kato silently boosted his wife up to the vent ducts so that she could enter the room undisturbed, while he waited for the golden chance to break through the isolation wall, diving right onto an unwary patroller. The impact from the blindsiding shoulder check to the helmet knocked the man clean out, but caused enough ruckus for the four others within the room to be alerted. Two of them immediately opened fire at the ground so that the ones below would take notice and then converged on the scene. Kato quickly called upon his Octo-Ink to become invisible, but it didn’t seem to matter, as the soldiers all seemed to possess a vision faculty that exposed their neuroelectric signals (which weren’t masked by the suits). Thus, they opened fire and very nearly shot through his mask and hood before Kato ducked, with his opposite arm and thigh taking grazing shots instead, nonetheless cutting the armor. 

_Specialized rounds that pierce my suits?_ Kato noticed for a moment before getting to another cover spot, while also commanding some new micromachines still inside his blood vessels to replace the shredded ones.

Realizing that their target has moved, the four remain split as duos to pinch on his new location. Thankfully, Kato and Yada were hoping for this, as she then descended from a vent hatch on top of the back soldier of one team. She briefly disabled the leader with a Shock-Pad to the neck long enough for her to return to the first, stomping his nape to sandwich his helmet into the ground. The CFO then seized the man’s Pindad rifle and twisted her legs around his left arm, creating a hammerlock with the forearm high in her thighs. This was so that when she fell back, the submission was wrenched too far, dislocating the first’s shoulder. The second had recovered, ripping off his Shock-Pad and turned back, but it was too little, too late as Yada had also stabilized her aim by going supine, and capped both of his knees with the rifle. She pacified the first with a pair of kneecaps of his own before seizing a Walther Creed and spare magazines from their writhing bodies and moving on.

The other two heard the commotion and immediately broke their gaze from Kato’s location to investigate. Big mistake, for Kato then sprang out, jumping off of the countertop and Ballistic shield pressing both of them so that they all landed like domino tiles on top of each other. Kato then ripped off the mask of the one underneath his cohort and smashed his face with the other (helmeted) head into a bloody mess. Once that was over, Kato flipped the top man over, pulling out his Microtech Troodon and carving straight down his calf. Kato then claimed a similar firearm to his wife’s with additional ammunition.

Yada converged with her husband right before the cellar doors that they had arrived from earlier. They both detected, however, that it had been rigged with Semtex from the other side that would most assuredly detonate if they opened from that side. As such they made to go one floor higher, which only had one camper at the top of the stairs; easily dealt with by Yada’s Ballistic Shield blocking his assault-rifle rounds while she sets up a handgun shot to his trigger hand (the elevation on the staircase made it impossible to shoot his lower limbs like before). Now unable to hold his firearm, the duo quickly advanced and gave him two knees that crushed his mask while doing so. Finally, an opportunity to escape the distillery presented itself in the form of a lone window big enough to jump out of. 

Kato and Yada had finally gotten out of the deathtrap, and an armed proximity mine above would prevent others from leaving the same way. But there was no time for champagne just yet as Kazuchika’s men must still be able to pursue them on the streets. The objective, therefore, was clear - escape Aomori. 

If the earlier minutes didn’t scream how “easier said than done” that task was going to be, there were the uncomfortably close noises of a patrol chopper closing in! The CFO and CEO both looked up to find the aircraft with a powerful searchlight identifying them, and hastily ran into the nearest narrow passages between buildings to become invisible again. 

While this tactical maneuver did get them out of sight, some nearby ground operatives were alerted that their targets were approaching, which was made clear to the AssUniv duo when they heard glass break from above and commotion behind some alley doors. Kato kept aim above while Yada advanced, kicking one metal door back shut and crushing the man’s forearm between it and the sill; she also shot the wrist for additional brutality. She then slid low as the next door opened, making herself a smaller target and shot up at the two coming out and then used their fallen weight as cover for tapping the three from two doors further down the alley. Kato meanwhile got a couple of chest taps on the shooters above; one even fell out his window and landed on a lower roof from the impact. 

_We’ll need to pass through the houses to disappear again, right?_ Yada turned back to her husband and wondered, implicitly suggesting to scale the sheer wall and climb into the apartment complexes to truly break the enemy’s gaze. 

_Will work for a hot minute or two, but before we can move to my extraction point, I reckon we’ll have to deal with that helicopter. No doubt it will ID us again before we get to that escape point._ Kato shook his head at the suggestion.

 _Then I trust you have a plan to take it down?_ Yada turned out the pockets of the incapacitated mercs to acquire more ammunition while questioning him.

 _Of course. Plans._ He concluded.

After his on-board radio operator confirmed that none of their comrades were responding to radio update requests, the pilot began looking for new vantage points that would help them locate the AssUniv members once more. When the upper altitudes failed to deliver on that front, they had resolved to descend close to the rooftops to allow their mobile snipers to seek new vantage points, and then continued to plummeted to the first storey right in front of the primary alleyway. Ground field agents converged on the block’s corners that flanked the aircraft, defending it in the event of attacks from virtually all angles.

Initially, this seemed very plausible, as the aircraft looked to be untouchable; none of the conventional firearms procured could pierce the reinforced chassis of the heli, as observed when some of them opened fire from random windows. When some of the mercenaries went to investigate, however, they found only the discharged weapons. Thrown explosives didn’t work due to hostile trophy systems being planted onto the nearby walls, which disarmed and destroyed all hand-sized throwables coming their way. 

The technicians on board weren’t completely without worry, however, as then their screens produced some command prompt windows, producing walls of white CLI text.

“We’re getting hacked!” One of the operators announced aloud.

“Not a problem. Destroy the nearby cell tower, Junction 4. Everybody, we’re going by Microcomms now.” The leading ground soldier dictated. From there, a three-man squad on a rooftop with one of the radio masts mounted there proceeded to destroy the structure with C4. With that, the computer infiltration came to a halt. 

It was not over yet, however, as then the pilot noticed a blaring red blip on his interface. “Engine’s taking damage. How can that be?”

“No ballistic attack incoming.” One of the ground mercenaries held out his hand as if to try and catch any rainfall.

“And current machine status is unhindered.” Another operator informed the rest.

“Hold on, Daedalus 3, how fast was the hack going?” The captain on foot asked.

“Really fast. Like it was a back-tap program happening right on the other side of the cockpit.” D3 responded.

“That’s because it was. Reinforce the engine hull layers.” The former ordered. From there, two aluminum-carbon steel sheets folded out from the top of the engine location, fixing with the chassis below it and then compressing to overlap with the original layer.

“Engine damage has halted. What was that?” 

“They had a little micro machine, which our Trophy System couldn’t detect, that flew in and caused some havoc. This was us catching it in a Venus Fly Trap.”

“Never would’ve thought about that. Perhaps our bosses really do know this guy like the back of their hand.” The pilot remarked. But before he could grow more confident, his interface brightened up all of the blips and the wing blades spun more vigorously. “Whoa, what the?”

“Now what?” The captain interrogated.

“Power levels to the aircraft is spiking!” The aviator attempted to calm the rotors before they break and fly off.

“The micro machine had a dead man-uh, bug’s switch and fired off a large electric surge on the conductive layers, and drilled a hole through so that it’d seep into the mainframe. Be thankful we caught it before it drilled a deeper one. Now reinforce the Faraday Cages.” The leader explained and ordered.

The gridded metal surrounding the hardware added two new, differently-colored bars both vertically and horizontally to protect the electronics further, spreading the electricity too far to cause any more of a ruckus. A minute later, the surge ceased.

“Power levels have returned to nominal state.” Daedalus 5 observed.

 _The Dragonfly-Bot has used up the entirety of its options._ Yada spoke while Octo-Inked, having laminated herself perfectly with the ceiling. She turned to him, across the living room. _Got another backup plan?_

 _Very meddlesome, my brother has proven to be. Hmm..._ Then, Kato’s mind flickered, and though Yada couldn’t see it, she knew he was grinning. _One more. Follow MY lead._

In an alleged last-ditch effort, two large wardrobes flew out of different windows, with gravity doing its work to send them plummeting into the main rotors. Not that it served too much, as the enhanced blades shredded them like logs at a lumber yard. 

But within those dressers’ drawers were a load of chaff and EMP grenades. Their concealment within the furniture allowed them to fool the trophy system’s countermeasures long enough to disable them with an omnidirectional pulse.

“APS devices are disabled!” The closest of the soldiers to the falling trophies acknowledged. “Aluminum strips have also clouded our neuroelectric vision faculty!”

“Keep a keen eye, gentlemen and ladies! They might be trying for the aircraft now. Daedalus crew, ascend once the controls have rebooted.” The captain spoke once close to the cockpit. They nodded in response.

Soldiers spread out at all fronts on the XYZ plane to ensure Kato and Yada weren’t approaching. Indeed some of them saw apparitions of their foes and opened fire in response... Only to find humanoid, wooden cutouts in their places. Before long, the metallic haze subsides and the chopper could fly upwards, all without incident.

“Orion L and R, what’s the sky looking like?” The ground captain spoke, with his comms also rebooted. Nothing but silence for the next few seconds reached his ears. “Orion L and R, what’s the situation?” He repeated, before realizing two seconds later that they’ve been dealt with. “Ajax, Achilles, reach the roofs before the heli gets too high!” He frantically ordered.

But by then it was too late. The pilot and technicians got to see Kato and Yada waiting for them while their sniper buddies were down for the count. The both of them then fired Pivoting Wire Wrest hooks into the tail portion of the chassis, and the others towards the main blades. The titanium-silk hybrid cables endured the rotors’ speed and strength long enough to jam them and cause the aforementioned tail to fly into them as well, terminally damaging the aircraft and sending it into mayday. 

The soldiers down below saw the chopper lose control and force-land on top of the roof it was attempting to overcome. The KAM duo meanwhile ran the other way as soon as they knew it could no longer follow them. Some of the operatives of the Ajax and Achilles teams appeared over the edge, to which Yada punted the head of one and stomped on the other before jumping into the window across the alley. Kato opted for two knees into one of their backs as he flip-laminated onto one, and then slamming another’s head into the lip of the building before making a cat leap to Yada’s window. 

The battle couple proceeded down the building, kicking doors into other merc’s arms and heads while doing so and kneecapping them with their own guns while stunned. By the time they reached ground-level again, they had stockpiled all of their frag grenades and used them generously to carpet the sidewalk of the entrance, giving them clear ways to flee further.

The endgame for the duo now that the worst of the heat was off of them was to reach one of the power control rooms that was rooted to maintain the electricity of the city’s transit. And at this point, virtually nothing was going to stand in their way. Not complements of Kato’s brother’s mercs (who littered the ground in squirming heaps), a small squad of scouting APCs (which were turned on their sides in burning heaps), and not even police nuisances (which, well, let’s just say they weren’t as much a problem for them as black ops forces).

Minutes later, they commandeered a ride underneath the payload of an eighteen-wheeler, which was remotely controlled by Kato on his InReTs to bring them along the cusp of their destination undetected (much to the semi driver’s bewilderment of his driving wheel moving on its own), while Yada helped him avoid ramming into traffic by peering around the landing gear of the cargo at spontaneous intervals.

Once they arrived at their destination, CEO and CFO hopped out that way and into a rolling stop into the passage below the road.

 _That was some fun, at least._ Yada stretched out her back and arms as they both walked towards the tunnel that was certain to house the maintenance door. 

_A little too much excitement, I’d say. But I’m glad that you’re getting back to higher spirits._ Kato continued to glance around to ensure no eyes were upon them.

 _I couldn’t possibly be in disbelief for too long, could I? It’d make me too much of a hypocrite when dealing with you._ Yada considered, holding her hip.

 _Not true. That would only mean I of all people would understand._ Kato turned around to inspect their rear. And something made him stand rigid.

Yada observed the Chairman’s hesitation. _Kato?_

 _Yada- Stop!_ Kato then held out his hand towards his wife in a protesting gesture.

The CFO had complied with the order puzzlingly, until her mind flickered, and she slowly looked down to her chest. Down there was a bright red dot.

“You almost got away from us, Kato! But it’s because of her - your worst weakness, that you couldn’t seal the deal!” The alleged sniper spoke through the piggybacked frequency. Also confirming herself to be a woman.

Kato looked back up, having traced the angle of the laser trail to find the female marksman situated on a small balcony. He was clearly pissed, beating himself up about missing a trace on the final goal post of the plan.

“Make no mistake either, Chairman sir, that what you see I’m armed with here is a McMillan TAC-50 sniper. Its caliber and speed was made to kill Marines and First Recon boys across several thousands of yards. Now she’s better layered than those boys, but you know that an AP round from this range would blow a hole through that Graphene-Aramid crossover and whatever’s behind it, right?” He taunted.

Kato slowly turned his head back to his wife. Her mask and hood hid any obvious signs of fear, though Kato knew her more subtle tics of trepidation, such as a twitching foot. 

“So this is how it goes down for you: Stay put for the next few minutes while the rest of my boys come in to pick you up. You two move anything but your heads, and I’ll shoot. And don’t even try for your contacts; don’t forget that we can see your neuroelectrics.” He commanded, not relaxing his aim in the least.

Kato took a sharp breath. _Yada..._

 _Kato... Now that Aki is safe, AssUniv takes priority for me-_

_No._

_Please not now - and I know that their best shot at living past this is through you._

_Yada, stop._

_By all means, if you have an out for me right now, go for it._

However, Kato remained still and silent in response.

_Okay. It’s okay, Kato._

_I’ll think of an out right now._

_They’ll need you._

_And so do you!_

_Not as much._

_Just as much!_

_Stop making this harder._

_I’m not giving you up!_

_Do as I say!_

_We will both get through this!_

_Did you lie?_

_Yada, really?_

_Are you lying to yourself?_

_No way in Hell. I don’t lie!_

_I..._

_What?_

_I want to believe you._

_Yeah?_

_But certainly..._

Kato still had two hands up to do his best in protesting Yada from making a sudden movement, most likely to no avail.

 _I love you..._ She began psyching herself up for what was next.

 _I love you too._ Kato admitted sadly.

 _And I love you two._ A third voice declared.

Kato and Yada both lifted their heads up in surprise, as a one-two of different firearms discharged. Despite that, the CFO was not struck - in fact, the laser light disappeared from her torso entirely. Kato looked back cautiously, seeing the barrel portion of the marksman’s dismantled rifle fall off the sill and hit the ground. The sniper herself was tagged with a headshot; despite the helmet serving her well against a pistol caliber, the impact still rocked the woman and knocked her out.

 _Kurahashi! You did that?_ Yada surveyed the various matching-level buildings in search of her friend. Kato pointed her out for her.

 _You bet. I still cannot go with you guys - family still comes first. But no doubt you’re going to save me. And any others that are being extorted by these sleazebags._ She informed them while quietly putting down her Taurus.

 _I must say, your vote of confidence hits almost as warm of a note as you falling back to your old ways, at least for the moment._ Kato remarked.

 _Thanks for reminding me. I could still shoot you guys, you know._ She snarked, before throwing a backpack to them, which the Chairman caught. Inside it was all of their personal sidearms that the biology specialist had forced them to toss aside earlier. _A few, little parting gifts. May they serve you well like all the times before._

 _Stay safe, Kurahashi. We will free you and your family!_ The CFO reminded her.

 _Ugh, just get going already!_ She commanded them. Without another second wasted, they proceeded underneath the tunnel passage, finding the power maintenance door that would bring them onto the primary departure platform of the capital’s train station and board the last service train leaving the prefecture’s capital at bullet speeds.

“Sir, they’ve escaped into Aomori’s main train station. It’ll be impossible to find which of the locomotives they have entered, and when.” One of Kazuchika’s agents relayed.

“That’s okay. It would be a waste to wait or infiltrate such a bottleneck either way. Let them go - enjoy having the idea of control just a little while longer, Kazuhiko. It is not to last.” Kazuchika spoke back. “Meanwhile, have you found Kurahashi?”

“Yes, sir. She gave herself up again just after we discovered the emergency hatch and closed in on the location our sniper had coordinated. She conveniently arrived too late to stop the duo from escaping when they had subdued said scout on their way out.” He acknowledged, also noticing the woman of the hour arriving via a forcefully pushed shoulder.

“Indeed...” Kazuchika concurred. “Say, Kurahashi, can you hear me well?” He asked aloud, prompting the soldier to move his radio over to the new recipient.

Kurahashi took a deep breath before responding. “Yes. I can. And before you seek vengeance upon me for going against your kill-on-sight orders - orders that are ever so dull compared to your supposed brother - let me confirm that you’re eventually going to lose. Even if you got more than me, even all of us, you made the mistake of pissing Kato off. And for that you’ll lose.” She asserted confidently.

“Is that so?” Kazuchika nonchalantly asked back. “Well then, thanks for your input; I am going to put it to heart moving forward with the game. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you undermined my authority with this display of defiance mere hours after your attestation of service to my force. And it will not stand. Bring her back in.” He spoke.

Kato and Yada, meanwhile sat inside of the windowless entrance to their train car, catching their breath after such a toiling, tragic, and troublesome afternoon. 

“... I understand, Satoshi.” Kato spoke to his bluetooth. “No, don’t split off to the front until I dictate it; for now we must care for the affected we have, and understand what the enemy’s objectives are.” He added on after a couple seconds to let his Captain speak his turn.

Yada meanwhile had a thousand-yard stare of sorrow on her face, realizing that the levity that she just had with Kurahashi, for all intents and purposes could have been their last. As Kato had noticed every time he glanced his wife’s way, however, there was still a grounded clarity in her eyes and attempts to subdue extreme overreaction, which served as a competent silver lining.

“I get it. You can tell Miho to rein it in too; it’s obvious that I’m just as angry about this as she is.” The Chairman took one last, albeit longer, stare at Yada. “And the rescued AssUniv members are even angrier still. So follow the protocol - bring AssUniv to the briefing, reinforce the safety of their loved ones, and hold the last lines well.” He ordered. “Godspeed, Satoshi.” He then ended comms and then scooched towards the CFO until they were touching shoulders. _Yada... Kurahashi will be alright. They may know she acted against them, but they wouldn’t have kept her alive... The first time if she wasn’t of any use. And if Kazuchika’s enmity is not escaping my reasoning, he will certainly like nothing more than to have her be instrumental to my defeat._

 _How can you be so sure, Kazuhiko? He already committed one of the Cardinal sins of your family. What other lines a Kato wouldn’t cross that he will?_ She asked.

 _Just trust me on that, okay? Kato members will hold onto their perfect vengeances past rationality; I certainly did._ He repeated. _But of note too is that she won’t be alone with them either._ He turned away and mentioned.

Yada looked at him, again with utter grief. _Who else?_ She requested additional info.

Kato didn’t stop looking back into her eyes, though hesitating to confess. Before long he had done so through an audible whisper, with the revelation prompting Yada to turn away, holding her mouth and close her eyes wincing. He naturally wasn’t going to let his wife suffer this pain alone, so just as quickly as she moved away, he pulled her back by the far shoulder.

Yada didn’t resist the tugging, instead settled in resting her head on her husband’s chest, silently sobbing all the while. _This is wrong beyond words. And God willingly, it won’t stand._ She spoke moments later, having pitched her heavy head back up steadfastly.

 _Damn right it won’t. Because we made the promise to Kurahashi, Yada. And all Kato Family members,_ Kato then wiped away Yada’s left eye’s stream with his right thumb. _Biological or otherwise, keep their promises._ _He concluded._

The CFO nodded with conviction to the CEO’s declaration. They then resolved to leisure about the remainder of their quiet train ride to their next destination.


	7. Hope-Crushing Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dividing line has been formed between the AssUniv Community members that were able to escape the LWA's global attack, and those that were forced to surrender to its influence. And now's the time for them to learn why.
> 
> And to get back into the game. Perhaps, for the last time...
> 
> Though not if Kazuhiko Kato and Touka Yada have anything to say about it.
> 
> But could someone else have something to say too?

As Yada rested on his shoulder while they were still on the mobile locomotive, Kato stared at the vehicle’s ceiling, once again falling into a dreamscaping flashback of his father’s memories during the final stages of the Communist Insurgency within Thailand.

_ “<Well done over these past few weeks, men. Through all of your dogged efforts, golden fruit from Eden’s teats have been produced. Intel has confirmed that we have pushed back the Red to a handful of isolated, once-abandoned, now-seriously-occupied sites on the mainland. They are hoping to hold out until the Malay Part crosses the gulf to provide additional aid, not knowing that our fortified embargo will be isolating them like checkmating a king.>” The field Colonel informed the large squad of Free-World soldiers, which included Kazuto within the entourage closest to the mapped table. Judging by the patch on his upper fatigues, he had reached the rank of Second Lieutenant. _

_ “<Chiefly critical among these sites is this long-overthrown correctional facility, situated roughly eighty miles southeast of Bangkok, within the woods favoring Chanthaburi. We believe that the last vital Officer of the Insurgency has sought refuge there. One way or another, once he falls, the enemy force is ensured to fall soon after.>” The decorated leader continued. _

_ “<It’s definitely going to be easier said than done, right?>” One of the Taiwanese soldiers raised a hand and commented. _

_ “<Of course it would be. But I don’t seem to recall any time that us on our best day were ever so troubled by their fortifications.>” An American comrade retorted. _

_ “<He’s right. All we have to do is the same thing we have been doing one last time, and this war will be over. Is that too much to ask from you sneering folk? Speak now if it is.>” The Colonel looked around, finding no protesting voices. “<Okay! Then tonight, we sack this prison and send all you ladies home!>” He dictated. An ensuing roar of agreement followed, which included Kazuto’s own excited growl. _

_ Of course, by this point, the war’s most painful aspects have either desensitized the men, or had them quit earlier on. Since Kazuto had no choice to quit, he naturally followed the former, and couldn’t be more excited for it to be over. All that was necessary to do that... _

_ “<Papa! Quebec! Move in!>” _

_ Mixed noises of bullets and explosions echoing the concrete walls interrupted the field leader’s seemingly incessant barking.  _

_ “<We’re in deep shit here!>” _

_ One of the several American soldiers behind a tower’s walls commented as they suffered the focused fire of many Kalishnikovs and a mounted heavy machine gun from a taller tower.  _

_ “<You boys really gotta check and disarm doors before we open them!!>”  _

_ Said at least once after five others lost their hands and faces to activated claymores placed on the side sills of the threshold on the other side. _

_ It was bitter work, well past the verge of unsavory and into the personifying adjective that would describe every grim underworld ever conceived.  _

_ But it did eventually end.  _

_ As the sun was coming back up, the fighting had died just like most of the other Insurgents, and the leader had been routed - forced to his knees by the Free World’s soldiers. As the highest rank in the room, Kazuto confronted him face-to-face. _

_ “<You want me to beg?>” The Officer spat in his native tongue. “<Only after you stand on your head for the rest of the day.>” He added on. _

_ “<Up to you, Koza boy.>” An American soldier hands Kazuto a loaded 1911. _

_ Kazuto slowly accepted the firearm with a bit of a grimace on his face at the derogatory remark, checking the chamber before looking back at the Officer. _

_ “<You think you’re such a man for fighting with this outfit? You’re swimming in shit!>” The enemy leader continued to taunt him. _

_ Kazuto listened to him for a moment, before holstering the pistol and instead pulling out a SOG knife. He gestured for the two soldiers flanking the Officer to lift him to his feet. _

_ “<That blade doesn->” _

_ The Japanese anti-Insurgent did not let him finish this time, instead plunging the knife through both upper rib cage areas usually covered by the arms. The sharp blows to the lungs and axillary arteries reasonably interrupted the man’s final sentence as he instead began coughing some blood, while the rest flowed out of the first orifice (Kazuto kept the knife, and thus pressure, in the second wound for his own reasons). It didn’t take much longer for him to lose too much crimson and pass on, bowing the head, much to Kazuto’s relative indifference as he stepped back and allowed his body to fully slump to the ground. _

_ “<It’s over.>” He managed to say. Despite the flat tone, there was gratification over the vocal conclusion of the matter. _

_ “<Not until the proof’s delivered.>” The same Taiwanese soldier from earlier commented, stepping up to the corpse and pulling out the SOG. He quietly offered it grip-first to Kazuto. “<Finish the story if you will, 2nd Lieutenant.>” He implicitly requested. _

_ Breaking off from his euphoric high and falling to rock bottom again, Kazuto gazed at the unidentifiable weapon, then at its gifter and the rest of his peers, and finally back at the Officer. Grave thoughts raced through his head. (Why? Isn’t killing him enough? Why not photos? An open coffin? Why do we have to be so... Barbaric?) But ultimately, he blew past his reluctance, claiming the sharp dagger. _

_ Now outside, a soccer ball-size, dark and soaked bag was slammed onto the Colonel’s planning table, which had been moved to the correctional facility’s courtyard. _

_ The Colonel put down his metal mug right next to it to take a closer look, followed by raising his head at Kazuto. “<Enjoyed the hunt?>” _

_ Kazuto remained silent, perhaps allowing the blood splatter that went across his chest, face, and helmet answer for him. _

_ The superior rank seemed to take that as a yes and rose up to meet him level. “<Very well. Job done. Time to go home, everybody.>” The Colonel threw out his open hands. _

_ (But...) Kazuto looked over, seeing the line of cloth-covered bodies next to a military ambulance. (Not without costs.) He grumbled. _

Kazuhiko’s eyes shined from the dawning sun through the train’s window much like it did for his father those many decades ago. Like so many times before, Kato had to look at his watch to make sure of what was the present for him. He sighed and then looked over to his wife, who was still sleeping away the pain of yesterday on his clavicle. 

The Chairman glanced the other way, as if in deep consideration over something, and then looked back, carefully pressing on her exposed earring, which seemed to reactivate it.  _ Yada.  _ He thought aloud to her.

_ Hm? _ She opened one eye.  _ Are we almost there? _

_ Almost. Another ten minutes.  _ He answered back, glancing at his timekeeper again.

_ Aha.  _ She briefly rubbed her eyelids and rose to proper seating.  _ Have the AssUniv members that the Kato Alliance did save reach the briefing site undetected? _ She asked further.

_ According to my blood-brothers and sisters. They’re waiting on us now.  _ He nodded.

_ Excellent.  _ She sighed in relief.

_ Is it though? You think they might...? _ Kato wondered.

_ It’s just as I said before we met up with Kurahashi. They’ll be angry, but they’ll understand. I reckon at this point, they’re the only people on this planet who could understand where you’re coming from, let alone would. _ She reiterated.

Kato nodded slowly in agreement.  _ But... As for if they’ll forgive me? _

_ Now that is a different story. _ Yada bit her thumb in thought.  _ Saving the day would certainly help - fixing what you broke and all that. _

_ Then they can consider it done.  _ He asserted.

Yada brought her eyes closer to his head, as if suspiciously inspecting something.  _ Did Kurahashi not believing you back there wreck your idea of the bonds you have with us? _

_ It shuffled one of my decks, if not all of them. _ He noted.

_ It’s not that she didn’t agree with you, Kato. It’s just family. Like you said. The second it’s not a clear factor, she’ll turn back to helping you. Everyone else will too.  _ She confirmed.

_ Okay... That’s all I needed to hear. _ He smacked the back of his head on the locomotive. She continued to look to him with a hint of concern that there’s still something left deep inside regarding that thought. But for now there wasn’t time to worry about these personal issues.

After a seven hour shinkansen ride across one of the longest train lines in the country, Kato and Yada finally made it to their destination - Fukuoka, where roughly seventeen years earlier, Kato’s life had changed forever inside an ideal, but otherwise typical summer home. 

But that wasn’t to be their final location. That honor to a house across the street and eight properties deeper into the road. 

A trapdoor opened to illuminate the climbing underpass below it. “Kato. Yada.” Naoko, being the opener, greeted them along with an unstrapped Beretta. 

She was followed swiftly by Nakamura and Nagisa, who helped each of them out of the alternate entrance to the basement.

“Usually I’d chastise you, Kato, because ladies first. But since you overpowered your urge to get a cheap view... I think I’ll let it slide.” The blonde admitted.

“Marvelous.” He expressed his gratitude.

“Good of you to confirm to me within the first five seconds of seeing you in person again, Nakamura-san.” Yada stated as the bluehair got her level as well. “That you haven’t replaced the vulgarity filter for that big, big mouth of yours.” She taunted.

“You ought to be grateful I can still make quips. I almost didn’t feel like it.” She nodded, with her smile slowly vanishing. The four of them all noticed her downing mood. “It only gets harder, you know. Each and every time I have considered stopping for longer and longer. And it’s terrible to feel that way.” She further conceded, before leading the way upstairs. The rest glanced at each other before following her.

Now reaching the living room, they reunited with all that remained of the free AssUniv remnants, who perked up upon seeing the final participants of their congregation.

Though Yada knew the lineup coming in, she still thought their names to herself to ensure all of them were actually before her eyes.  _ Nagisa, Nakamura, Naoko, Karma, Sugino, Kimura, Yukimura, Maehara, Okano, Hayami, Mimura, Terasaka, Fuwa, Okajima, and Ritsu... _ She clenched one of her fists tightly in frustration, despite the confirmation - something her friends and peers could see.

Of particularly sour notes too were Okajima looking to the Chairman upon recognizing him, spelling out his concern for the Shiroyuki twins to the latter. Kato gave a quick wave aside as some form of reassurance on their status. Meanwhile, Karma and Naoko shared one quick gaze into each other’s eyes before breaking away, refusing to escalate the atmosphere while other pressing matters were afoot (Yada could tell that wasn’t their first broken gaze while they were waiting for Kato and herself to arrive). Hayami could be seen glancing discreetly beyond the curtains covering the windows - in clear view was the Hanamura family outside the Summer home. Haru and Mikio were hastily doing inventory on the trunks of an SUV and minivan respectively, while Kenta, who had noticeably grown since last being seen, was hurriedly bringing out the last of their essentials. It was obvious that they too have gotten a memo about the attack on KAM assets, and they would need to be on the run for a bit.

“Welcome, all of you.” Kato broke the silence, stepping into the center of the room while everybody else found their spot and attentively listened in. “I understand the circumstances of our-” He glanced at his watch for a moment. “-Long-awaited reunions are not ideal.”

“Kato, we didn’t really have a choice. On one unremarkable day, we were suddenly rounded up along with our folks, moved into various safehouses underneath nondescript mountains and lakesides, and then picked out to be brought here.

“Yes, I know. I organized that security protocol. And I apologize that I carried it out so abruptly and scared you all in the process, but with recent happenings, it had to be done.” The Yakuza Chairman answered back.

“We might start accepting it, Kato, once you tell us why it was so essential. And why so many of us are not present for this meeting.” Terasaka considered.

Kato took a beat before looking down. “Right.” He clasped his hands together close to his face. “Where to begin?” He wondered.

“Why’s that even a question?” Kimura wondered.

“Last time I recounted a tale this significant...” He checked his timekeeper again. “I nearly left dear Naoko in mania.” He spoke with some exaggeration.

“Watch it, prick. I may have said I lost my mind, but you were not to take it at face value.” The Prodigy bounced back.

“Indeed.” Kato relaxed his hands. “Now I conclude that there’s no detail that shouldn’t be spared, especially since you all know my schtick and would love to dissect it as best you all can.” He admitted. “So, let’s start with this: Your enemy is called the Lost-Wing Angels. They are led by at least two men named Neito Shirai, and Kazuchika... The latter of whom happens to be my recently-discovered older brother.” He announced.

AssUniv turned so stiff at the final declaration that they could’ve been replaced by lifesize statue versions of all of them.

“And to know why he’s gunning for us, we must go back to when my father was a soldier, fighting the Communist Insurgency in Thailand that plagued the land for-” He checked his watch “-Almost two decades.” He stated.

_ After authenticating Kazuto’s proof of execution of the final Red Officer, the Free World’s infantry were brought back to Bangkok. Though there wasn’t exactly jubilant fanfare for them, they were beyond elated alongside their other comrades that their time fighting the bad guys was finished. That didn’t mean they were done fighting against each other, however, if the reasons were, for a lack of a better term... Right. _

_ Kazuto was savoring a Cuban cigar gifted to him by the Colonel while sitting on the loading door belonging to a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy awaiting overnight clearance to take flight.  _

_ “<Hey, Koza boy!>” A voice that presumably belonged to the hand that slapped Kazuto on the shoulder called out, alarming him after his latest puff. _

_ Kazuto only turned to him slowly in response. _

_ “<What are you sulking for? The war’s over! It fucking is! You should be enjoying yourself!>” He suggested while trailed by a complement of the soldiers (from their own regiment and some others). His breath clearly indicated to Kazuto that he was at least slightly inebriated. _

_ “<I am.>” He raised his cigar. _

_ “<And I meant really enjoy yourself! That’s a consolation prize; what we’re going for is the gold mine. Come on and join us!>”  _

_ “<You can enjoy the aftermath your way. I will do it my way. So with all due respect, go away.>” Kazuto concluded before turning away to puff another time.  _

_ “<Pff. Whatever then.>” The American comrade stood up and walked away. “<Alright, boys, the party pooper is gone, but before he left, he promised us we can become men!>” _

_ A resounding “YEAH!” bellowed through the air. _

_ “<The gold bar has given us a blessing to go to town? Hallelujah or however you say it!>” The Taiwanese peer added to his interjection. _

_ “<To be men? What’s the bar on that?>” Another, perfectly curious colleague asked. _

_ “<Well boys, since we’re mere boys...>” One of the taller of the bunch pushed his way into the lead of the corps. “<We’ve been merely following mere girls. So to be men, we must chase women. Tried and true.>” He considered. _

_ “<Shit, think so?>” the inquirer requested confirmation. _

_ - _ HEY! Get on with it! _ - _

Kato sighed exasperatingly at the angry folks who either were freaked out by the prose or felt it was wasting their time. “Well, you all would’ve complained if I skipped that part, believing I was leaving something out. Do not try to deny it, gentlemen and ladies.” He implored.

The AssUniv community held their tongue from any sort of protest, begrudgingly.

“Now, back to the story.” Kato declared, going back to looking at the corners of his eyes to see the tactical lenses’ imagery to keep him on track.

- _ Long dirty boy conversation short, eventually, the... Boys, drunkenly realized that they wouldn’t find any viable soldier women (however few there were in the barracks), so they opted for the only other source close by - refugees. Unfortunately, once they got a good visual of the litter, they became more than a little competitive, shall we say, over which one among them would lay with their shared one, true beloved.- _

_ “You puny sack of shit!” The aforementioned large guy insulted his foe. _

_ “Oh hey- That’s really rich coming from you!” The smaller guy retorted. _

_ “That cute one’s mine, dick!” _

_ “You only know she’s cute because I called her ‘a dainty thang’, smearwipe!” _

_ “What’s that mean, shrimp?” _

_ “It means you wouldn’t otherwise know ‘cute’ if it shot you point-blank in the face!” _

_ “Why you little-!!” _

_ Meanwhile, the enthusiastic rancors of “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” of the two belligerents’ comrades reverberated in the vicinity. For now the guys were still just shoving and lightly (read “sluggishly”) grappling with each other, but the more resentful punches would soon be thrown. If it wasn’t for.... _

_ Kazuto blasted through the circle of bystanders, delivering a vicious haymaker that connected to both heads in sequence, knocking them both unconscious on their asses. He no longer had his cigar either - a good half of it remaining burned away on the dirt. “<Revolting! All of you! I thought we had enough fighting for one life! What’s the point of ending a conflict if you’re just as quick to go and cheer and push for another?!>” He yelled aloud, looking to shame a number of the intoxicated public gathered. _

_ And while he got the silence he was looking for for a couple seconds, it was soon followed unexpectedly by slow clapping. _

_ “<Well well. The 2nd Lieutenant finally decides to join the fun.>” The Taiwanese spoke, identifying himself as the source of the applause.  _

_ Kazuto, appalled by the reaction, turned back with disbelief to face him. _

_ “<The floor’s yours, Kazuto. Pick any tent you want. We won’t protest.>” He added on. _

_ “...” Kazuto decided enough really was enough, and there would be no more violence. As such, he complied by the request and proceeded underneath one canvas on a whim.  _

_ The woman seated on the mattress perked up with curiosity upon seeing him enter. She was clad in a donated Marine T-shirt so oversized, the bottom hem covered up any pants she could be wearing down to her middle thigh. _

_ Kazuto gave her a steady gaze while rubbing and twisting his punching hand (away from her). “<Yeah, you’re pretty cute, like they said.>” He admitted in English, as he then took a deeper look around the tent, which had been mildly personalized. Of course, a Buddha statue, because that was the predominant religion in the country, but also a rattan ball, a hose next to a covered bucket, sewing materials for a chut thai line, and several salvaged paintings and books. Kazuto paid particular attention to one painting, depicting a blue man wielding a bow next to a more commonly-skinned woman. “<What’s that one?>” He asked. _

_ Dumbfounded, the woman double-took between the image of interest and the one taking said interest, all while remaining quiet. _

_ “<You can understand me, can’t you?>” He inquired, still in English.  _

_ This was around the time that the lady’s surprise transformed into exasperation as she squinted her eyes judgingly at the soldier in her residence. _

_ Kazuto crossed his hands, with his striking hand now exposed. “<Do not play dumb. Any foreigner worth their salt knows the indigenous people wouldn’t stay in their camps if they couldn’t understand what the foreigners were saying behind their backs.>” He argued. _

_ “<Oh God!>” The woman became flabbergasted again for a moment. In English. _

_ “<See, was that quietness really necessary?>” He tilted his head with disappointment. _

_ “<Your hand!>” She pointed out. _

_ Kazuto took a look at his knuckles. “<Ah, that.>” He proceeded to unwrap the limb, during which something was loosened up and fell to the ground. The woman realized it to be a paper roll full of Baht coins. “<I’m glad you didn’t see my hook with this weight out there. It wasn’t pretty in the least.>” He picked up the monetary package and placed it on a small roundtable. “<So, what is that?>” He asked, pointing at the painting again. _

_ “<What is this game?>” She asked back. _

_ Kazuto held out his hands, gesturing his ignorance to what she meant. _

_ “<You came in for company, yes?>” _

_ “<Yeah. For company.>” _

_ “<Then why you speak so much, and do no unclothing?>” She sat down on one of the two beds in the tent. _

_ “<You’re saying you want me to strip?>” _

_ “<’Strip?’>” _

_ “<If you insist.>” He proceeds to take off his shirt. _

_ The woman then blushed a bit at seeing Kazuto’s definition; especially so once he took a seat next to her. _

_ “<Now, what is that about?>” He asked once more, turning to her. _

_ When the woman looked into his eyes and saw only genuine inquisitiveness, she finally capitulated some details. “<Ramakien. The story of Pra Ram and his adventures with several companions, including wife Nang Sida. They are... Representations of Gods. They go on grand adventures, rule kingdoms that saved and shaped the world, and ultimately set example for a perfect set of partners.>” She briefly explained. _

_ “<That’s it? There’s got to be more to that. Who’s this guy, who I’m presuming is holding this Nang Sida captive? What’s his beef with Ram?>” He noticed. _

_ “<Okay, enough!>” The woman rose up from the bed, confronting the soldier. “<Why you do this? Why not-!>” She doesn’t muster the words for the action she hoped to describe, and so merely gestures to the mattress and then at their bodies. _

_ Kazuto was puzzled. “<Wait, you actually want to do that?>” _

_ She then cursed in her native tongue incredibly quickly before responding in English. “<What is with all of these questions? You don’t care! You enjoy your last day, and then like all outsiders, you leave! Never to think of this place - our home - again.>” _

_ Kazuto sat straight with attention to her angry monologue. _

_ “<You get me, whoever you are? You, like everyone else in your force, are a leech - you take all that you want, give either nothing or meaningless things in return, and anything you cannot have, you destroy. And before you say that those people were in Thailand long before this war, yes they were, but at least they look us in eyes before they steal from us. At least they spoke of their actions for exactly what they are. And they suffer the payback coming, rather than run, and learn all that they need to to handle it after. That is why you want me to speak in English, yeah? Because you never tried to learn Thai, no? So you do not need to?>” She continued speaking aggressively in Thai to provide further emphasis and turned away. “<So take what you want... For last time, and never come back.>” She asserted. _

_ Kazuto metaphysically wiped his face clean of her spit and rubbed it onto his olive-drab pants. He then stood up and stepped closer until he was just a foot behind. “<Did Ramakien ever tell you to not judge book by the cover?>” He remarked in Thai. It was much less naturally spoken, and several syllables were over-emphasized, but he knew for a fact she would understand his speech regardless. _

_ And she did, for the woman turned around with surprise on her face. “<You know this language?>” She asked back, in the same tongue. _

_ “<I gave it shots. I was here four years - figured it helps.>” He explained. _

_ “<And now it all goes to waste. Because you leave this, as your friends call, Hellhole, never to return.>” She crossed her arms. _

_ “<I do not think so. If I do that, what happen to you? And your family, if you have. Do you?>” He wondered. _

_ “<A mother. She was extracted early. Must be in another camp.>” _

_ “<You must know what next - a terrible period of- Hm, is there a word for what I’m looking for? Ah, Christ - Rebirth.>” He lightly cursed. _

_ “<Rebirth?>” _

_ “<Thailand will need to start over, and that will mean lack of proper structure for you, your mother, and all others. There’s mess to clean, and since I caused some, I will be back to clean it.>” He asserted. _

_ “<Clean it? Why should I believe that?>” _

_ “<Because I am looking out for your interest. And I shall be the first of outsiders to ask for your name.>” He held out an inquisitive hand. _

_ She looked at it for a moment before answering. She then got in close to his ear and whispered before retreating. _

_ “<Ah. And you wanted-?>” He gestured to the bed like she did. _

_ She bit her lower lip. “<You know, in all honesty, I never actually had that experience with someone.>” She confessed, holding her forearm and looking away. _

_ “<Makes two of us.>” He admitted as well. “<Will you tell more of Ramakien after?>” _

_ The woman glanced at him one more time, again blushing when she saw his definition. Still, she mustered the confidence and looked back at him. “<We shall see.>” _

_ -And in good conscience, I will avoid the next details... You can obviously gather that since I’m alive, he survived the experience and the woman wasn’t some Black Widow. And for you, Okajima and Maehara, the acts... Were pretty vanilla when translated to this present day - in the early 2020s, so no fun there. Anyways, they, urgh, spent the night, and Kazuto did indeed leave the country the next day. After having his fill of dealing out justice and the promotion of a free world from the image of another’s perspective, my father decided he wanted to make his own agency to enact justice, just like how my grandfather spoke to him about that in... 1979. But since the Kato Family was already so deeply rooted with the new Japanese framework, forming such an organization with that mindset wouldn’t be possible without executive meddling, which defeated the purpose. So my father doubled down on the small arms race - mostly as a moneymaker, as you’ve realized, but also as a front - to hide his true league of justice. They were named The Lost-Wing Angels.- _

“Or the LWA, for short.” Kato paused. “So it turns out, gentlemen and ladies, that I was never the best kept secret that my father ever had. No - there’s something he kept hushed for...” He checked his watch. “Twelve more years than I. And at this point, only a handful of Yakuza knew about it when it started, like my uncle.” He concluded for the moment.

“The Ministries never had a clue. I’ll be damned.” Naoko remarked, attempting to wrap her head around the idea, before refocusing. “You alright, though? A bunch of us have an idea of what it’s like when our folks callously care about something more than us.” She inquired.

“I’ll be alright. You can’t measure love with secrets. It’s just a lot to take in. And still plenty more.” Kato politely refused.

“Well, you’re handling it a lot better than last time you had to speak about your father.” Karma slouched back a bit.

“Thanks. So, with you all now knowing that Kazuto did the deed with this lady-”

“You glossed over her name.” Fuwa observed and interrupted.

“Yes, I did. Kazuto never wrote it down. And he never told my uncle. Maybe that was his way of holding to his promise to her.” Kato backtracked.

“What promise would that be? As far as we know, he was coming back repeatedly to help her and the nation out.” Maehara recalled.

“That was the plan... Anyways, so with this deed, my older half-brother comes to being. My uncle insists, however, that during his adolescence, he was none the wiser about my father’s occupation and nature at the time, as Kazuto made only day-long return visits and spoke nothing of his times there. My uncle later told me it burned him worse than being poked by fifty AK muzzles that he was never able to greet his progeny, which would explain his more obsessed nurturing of me once I came to be. You know, aside from the whole lone survival thing. Eventually, the weight of it all made him just stop going, and so Kazuchika never knew of what he was missing from his adolescence.” Kato expressed.

“That speaks of how your brother holds a grudge against you - he’s the elder heir who got passed over from taking over the Family, and his dad never once rekindled with his mom. But how does that factor into your father’s secret operation? Did he usurp control from him? Turn it against him?” Mimura questioned.

“No; Kazuchika did not know of the Lost-Wing Angels until he was roughly,” Kato checked his watch again. “Seventeen. By then, it had already found itself under new leadership - which brings me back to a man named Neito Shirai. He was a recruit for the LWA starting off a year into the agency’s service. He rose far into the ranks, earned my father’s deepest trust for anyone not his immediate family... And then he betrayed him. A power strangle - not a struggle, according to Norio - followed, and Kazuto’s brainchild was twisted and warped to the point that he no longer recognized it. My uncle then recounts that his brother used a mind-wiping machine soon after, for the pain of his regret starting the group was too great. Agh, honestly, much about Neito is a big question mark, even for myself - I know not of his quarrels with my family, that were significant enough for him to do this.” He did his best to elaborate on what happened to the secretive organization.

“Even so, that doesn’t make sense.” Nakamura rose out of her spot. “Neito spared your father and let so many decades pass of the latter possibly feigning being overthrown, and planning his next takeover of the LWA? Even if he really was clueless of the faction after the wipe, he would’ve found out about them, and fought back - loudly, had he the time. That’s no loose end that someone like Neito would risk leaving. With this in mind, why did they wait until now to show up? So long past Kazuto’s death? Why now?”

“Because of me.” Kato capitulated, pausing to take a look at his watch again. “Because about six years ago, I made myself known to the world, as a Chairman for a new crime syndicate. They knew my natural curiosity over my father’s work would solve their unanswered questions with absolute honesty. They knew that I would unwittingly join their unyielding cause to follow his trail, and find the ultimate failsafe to his agency - The Almighty Screwball.” He held out a hand before anyone thought to ask. “Naoko, you happen to know about what that entailed, yes?” He asked her.

“The Ministry satirically dubbed a supposed superweapon that moniker... Capable of wiping out every major city on the planet if one so wished.” Naoko explained, before quickly shaking her head with a scoff. “The Ministry heard of it a couple of times for sure, but the context, the flamboyant description of its potential... No way such a thing was kicking back in the 1980s. It’s a total myth.” She dismissed it.

“Remember when I established that Norio and his wife Yuna were world travelers? They were that - it was genuine what they explored. But it was not without other objectives. Norio’s task, among all others, was to reach the bulk of the world’s capitals and most major cities, and to dig six-feet-deep holes into unremarkable patches of land. When those ditches were filled back up, they would contain capsules of this size,” Kato described, positioning the index finger and thumb on his left hand to show its height (Not much more than an inch tall). “Which were filled with a dangerous substance that you all are very familiar with.” He not-so-cryptically mentioned.

“Antimatter?!” Maehara repeated frantically.

“Wait a minute, I know about this myth too!” Yukimura pointed. “Aguri used to mention to me through our phone calls that Yanagisawa became rather absorbed by an urban legend on online research forums regarding the sheer volume of antimatter that was supposedly detected beneath the grounds of popular visiting attractions! Nobody believed it possible because it would’ve required too much energy, and therefore money, to make enough of the volatile substance to blow up societies. Yanagisawa’s wet dream was to patent a new method to generate antimatter within living beings. And we all know what happened next.” She explained.

“It’s funny and sad, isn’t it AssUniv? You all couldn’t escape the umbrella of Korosensei’s influence forever. Now it seems my father’s reach has finally caught up to me as well.” The Chairman announced to them, then turned rather sad and looked down. “And it’s implicated the lot of you with it.”

“Your father was a peacekeeper, though. What was he doing making weapons of planetary devastation?” Nagisa asked.

“He was a righteous man, who fought for justice - that is, after all, much of the reason I stepped on his dirt tracks. But if anybody who knows how we are, such as Chairman Yuuji, would know that when compared, I’d appear to be a watered-down version in terms of brutality. Indeed, my father was not adverse to cutting fingers when they become gangrenous, believing that every defiler should know that turnabout was fair game... And if they thought that hiding in plain sight would save them, they needed to know that they were dead wrong.” He asserted.

“Which is another way of saying his ends justified his means.” Okano spoke.

“Well, he was Yakuza. No offense, Kato.” Yukimura remarked.

“It would’ve been worse if you called him or I bureaucrats.” He accepted the apology.

“So that’s their game? Steal these miniscule pills so that they can trigger a dystopia of their own choosing?” Nagisa queried.

“You’re half-right. They will indeed set these off, as Neito and Kazuchika’s ultimate capping of their victory against my father. But not by collecting them; at this point, that’s practically impossible, like beating the Bad Ending mission for Wing Commander III.” Kato made an awkward comparison.

Some of the recovered AssUniv members looked between each other with befuddlement over the obscure analogy. 

“No. Instead, the LWA is looking for the room that controls all of these antimatter capsules from where it stands. My father had dubbed this room the FATE Enterprise. From within its fallout-prepared sheltering, one could lay witness to the end of civilization of their own volition.” He spoke.

“This is absurd. There’s no way that place exists. Kazuto Kato had many talents, a genius mind, and an octopus’ reach of influence, but he was limited to the tech of his time, just like everyone else.” Naoko further denied any validity.

“Not exactly, Naoko...” Yada rubbed her hands nervously. “Kato Arms wouldn’t turn a profit out of their research department until Kazuhiko and Kazuhiro took over, but the business records did show revenue being pumped all across the old chapter’s books. It must’ve led to an R&D of Kazuto’s own. If he felt he needed it to be made - if he really did fall into such desperation from a tough time - then nothing was going to stop him from making it happen.” She reinforced her husband’s claim.

“Shit...” Mimura voiced the horrified gravitas from his former classmates.

There was then a long silence between everyone in the room. Rinka then took another look outside, now finding that the vehicles that the Hanamuras were filling up have now disappeared from sight.

“So let’s put a stop to them.” Nakamura advocated.

“No. I owed you all an explanation - that’s why we’re here. This isn’t your fight.” The Chairman turned down the implicit suggestion to team up.

“Dude, get it through your head.” Karma snarled back. “We’re plenty involved as it is, with just about half of our friends M.I.A. and all of our family members in a panic. Nobody, and I mean nobody, threatens our lives like that, and gets away with it. Now you implying you’re going to be fighting against the people who did this? Fantastic. That means we’re on the same side.” He proclaimed.

“You’re following, Kato? We’ll be doing this with or without you. But no doubt ‘with’ will more likely ensure each other’s success.” The Prodigy, with arms crossed, asserted.

Kato nodded slowly and scratched the back of his head. “Hmm. I know from Yada that there wouldn’t be a chance in Hell of stopping AssUniv when they become so obstinate. Okay.”

“So what’s our first move?” Sugino asked aloud.

“Thankfully, before my uncle got ambushed by LWA forces during the same time that Yada and I were saving Akihisa, he did give me his diary, which cryptically detailed every place he and Yuna ever went to during both of his journeys circumnavigating the globe. There are far too many places to search for the control room if we crossed them out one by one, but Norio also ensured that if one could follow the clues in this book and the ones on the field, then it would lead us through the dots to the golden path.”

“Ah, I get it. If we can pin down the FATE Enterprise with that book, we can then create the ultimate mousetrap. And if the LWA cannot ultimately survive without getting their hands on your ‘father’s biggest mistake’ as they’d refer to it, they won’t be able to resist falling for it.” Terasaka described.

“Indeed. You caught onto that quicker than two plus two, Terasaka.” Nakamura acknowledged with surprise.

“Revenge has always been something we all understood. How to inflict it, as well as counter it.” He reasoned, eliciting a chuckle from a sizable number of his peers.

“So Kato, where do we begin with that?” Terasaka queried.

“During both of the times my uncle traveled around the world, in 1984 and 2005, he always began with Bangalore, India. More importantly, he always spoke of the ever-changing lights and clockwork of Electronic City. He’d go on and on about the latest upstart exhibiting at the Phases, among other events.” The Chairman declared.

“No offense Kato, but is that really a good basis for why that’d be the first move? Surely he would’ve had tons of lavish, fancy words for the other places he decided to tell you. And he could’ve just started there again because of nostalgia. The Kato Family certainly digs that.” Maehara figured.

“No doubt. But when my rapidly-approaching-senile parental figure decided to go beige when it came to writing it down on the book he’d read over so that he can recall the best of his adventures as his cranial activity begins to fail him, that clearly raises flags for the people that know him well.” The Chairman bounced back, holding the text by the set of pages that contained Bangalore (which obviously was rather slim compared to the rest).

“You call twenty pages worth of Bangalore material beige prose?” Okano judgingly remarked, after giving a couple of quick flips through the journal.

“If you’d rather see the section for Everest-” Kato began flipping to that chapter.

“Nono-!” Yada protested quickly. “They don’t need to hear all of that.” She grinned worriedly to everyone.

“Okay... We’re taking your word for that, Kato. Let’s hope you’re not wrong.” Hayami asserted. 

“So, we have our heading. Rest up, everyone, because in twenty minutes, we’ll be off for a new, remote airfield prepared by Miho and Satoshi, so that we can fly to our next destination.”

“We’ll get the band back together, everyone. Stake your fifty yens on it.” Ritsu, appearing on Yukimura’s smartphone, asserted.

With that, smiles began to return to the reunited friends, which happened to include some rather endearing moments from the unbroken pairs. Nagisa and Yukimura held hands and kept each other’s heads up, psyching each other up for being witnesses for another grand adventure. Maehara and Okano, surprisingly for their usual behavior, rubbed foreheads with some sort of reluctant acceptance on their face - almost as if they’re realizing that this will have to be how they will sate a certain appetite for the time being. 

On the flipside, Naoko and Karma have closed the distance and mended their broken gazes. They seem to still not be on speaking terms without purpose, but a silent handshake makes it clear they know where the priorities are first and foremost. Perhaps its the start of something more. Kato and Yada certainly hope so, glancing their way as they too share a quick, romantic gesture all their own, tangling their left and fingers so that their wedding bands kiss for them.

_ It’s a foreboding repartee, but damn if it doesn’t melt the heart just a bit.  _ Kato remarked.

_ You got that right - I’ve practically lived on these moments ever since Junior High. We won’t let them show this wastefully, either. _ Yada reminisced.

_ Of course. My words are my bonds, after all. I said AssUniv and their supporters would be safe, and so they shall. _ Kato confirmed to her.

Yada grinned, looking into his eyes affectionately.

But before anything else could come from it...

A unique ringtone reverberated across the living room, alarming them all.

Terasaka pulled out his device from his back jeans pocket, identifying it as the source of the alarm. But it was the familiar, distinguishable tune that kept him and his peers on edge. “Kato, you didn’t just call me by mistake, did you?”

“Not at the moment.” The Chairman confirmed, silently gesturing to acquire the phone so that he could assess, which Teraska tossed over.

“Could it be from your Captains? Some new crucial info?” Nagisa asked.

Prior to Kato giving an answer, however, everyone else’s phones rang in a practically random sequence. It finally ends with Kato’s earpiece, according to his tactical lenses, calling Yada, and vice-versa, much to their horrors.

“Kato, what’s happening?!” Yukimura also asked.

The Chairman still is unable to answer back in time, for then Terasaka’s ringing concludes. On cue, all the other calls cut prematurely, leaving only the silence that was answering voicemail on speakerphone.

“Hey hey! I know you’re listening, little bro! With all your good friends! After all, I just called all of their phones.” Kazuchika greeted them, playfully seeking refuge in the discrepancy between his tone and the mood of his receivers. “Give yourself and your cybersecurity personnel some serious pats on the back, champ. It took me two minutes to get into all of your comparable private outfits’ communications - KAM’s commercial radio took eight.”

“Enough teasing, Kazuchika. We only wanted to establish three goals, and go through them as quickly as we can.” Another, more elder voice called out in the distance. Footsteps getting louder indicated he had taken the microphone. “So, Kazuhiko Kato. Might I confirm that I am Neito Shirai, who you’ve probably found all about through your uncle’s notes. Please send my regards to your little fellows as well, who are indisputably listening in.” He started off properly. “Honestly, I know they’re listening, because for the past hour and a half, all I heard was all of the tragedies that befell an atrocious fellow, the assurance of defeat for an impossible foe, AND THE UNDESERVED BLAMING OF AN INNOCENT MAN!” He yelled.

Kato and Yada’s pupils dilated as the audio became much sharper.

“My apologies. That was terribly uncouth of me. How about this? Kato - your words are bullshit. You claim all will be well for your peers and their family... Well what about your family and friends? Can you keep them safe?” Neito refocused and asked a rhetorical question. “Additionally, you heard me mention three points, hm? Let me break it down for you. For one thing, you think you’re so untouchable, having saved the world from two impossible wars, don’t you? No one but an idiot disputes the latter claim, but you’ve never saved the world from peril. What’s the difference? A warmonger follows the natural order. Peril-makers break them. For instance, I don’t think any of your previous foes ever thought to attack your friends first. Or your family friends, for that matter! Bring him in!”

Sounds of struggling and pain grew closer to the other end.

“Akira Hayashida.” Neito identified him.

Kato’s eyes widened again, as did the rest of AssUniv when they realized it too. The father of Daichi Hayashid, who exposed a Clan conspiracy towards the end of their Program. When they last crossed paths, it ended with Akira leaving Japan in shame, hoping to get himself as far away from Daichi’s misfortune as he could.

“Hayashida... From what I’ve heard, as household a name as it gets when it comes to longtime acquaintances of the Kato Family. Did hit a rough patch that never really healed too. Now I would normally say ‘I’m not surprised’ that a falling out occurred, but I have to admit you and your father probably did the right thing with them, for you ought to know that Akira had been a part of the LWA since the founding too.”

“!!” Kato couldn’t believe it.

“In fact, he was my pal before he was Kazuto’s. I had tasked him, as his superior officer, with taking down notes on Norio’s adventures while he doubled being a bodyguard - a legit one at least. He always reported back to me with no new leads, nothing of value, nothing with actionable intel. And when they came back to Japan with nothing to go on and enforcing the belief that it was well and truly just a culture trip... I had no reason to refute.” A large, exasperated sigh followed. “Decades later, no shit, he was lying. We rounded this guy up while he was training in a small time boxing gym in Rio; tortured him in a fish guttery for three days, before we finally turned over every nook inside his apartment, and found a diary. A diary, written with all of his observations on the sly while protecting his charges. Every single destination Norio and Yuna ever visited, described tactfully in the palm of one’s hand.”

“That journal’s not mine! It was mailed to me weeks ago in a strongbox! I only got the key a week ago!” The victim decried the claim.

“Still playing dumb, are we?” Kazuchika stated. Most assuredly it was him who delivered the punch that made a big thumping sound when flesh is disturbed.

“It was probably best that you just burned this book when you stopped working for Kazuto, Akira.” Neito spoke in hindsight for the former Oyabun. 

“I swear! I don’t know anything about this FATE Enterprise, or any other details in that journal!” The former Oyabun asserted.

“Nice try, Akira. You did a good job for both sides. It was nice when you were at my beck and call, and certainly Kazuto thought so too. But since you just couldn’t pick a line in the sand for yourself, you don’t deserve to continue having the benefits from either. Kazuchika, he betrayed your blood-tied family - what do you do with him?” Neito queried.

“Kill him, of course. The Kato Family hates traitors.” A nasty snap noise ensued.

Kato again was mortified at the displayless event. 

“A turncoat’s rightful reward. Oooh, that was actually two points in one there. One, you’re not invincible in all situations, Kato. Two, you cannot guarantee anyone’s safety. Just like Akira... And just like Miss Kurahashi.” He mentioned.

The lot of AssUniv’s hearts skipped a beat.

A pained grunt certainly belonging to a muzzled Kurahashi followed.

“We know she helped you and your lovely wife escape our clutches in Aomori. Now don’t worry, Kato. I and Kazuchika have intricate strategies that involve her, so we’re not going to do anything to diminish her capability, like shattering a knee or taking out an eye. As for her mother, though... That’s a different story.” Neito explained. 

“EHHNGH~!!” Kurahashi immediately yelled through her gag in response, audible from KAM’s helpless perspective.

A new set of muffled screams came from another arrival, eliciting further desperate reactions from their progeny.

“So a punishment for disloyalty, much like what Akira was handed. Of course, punishments have messages to deliver, and since we cannot write it on Kurahashi herself, we will do so on her old woman. Boys, cut the heels.” Neito ordered.

“NNNNNHH!! NNH!” Kurahashi seemingly struggled further.

But nothing came of it, for seconds later, the shrill screeches of her mother as the Achilles’ were slashed engulfed the microphone. 

“Let’s work our way up - tee off her hip with a sledgehammer, huh?” Neito then directed. There was a notable step that could be heard just afterwards.

“Hole in one...” One arrogant LWA merc announced. Yet another thump followed, with the heavy metal weight slamming straight into the Iliac’s Crest, breaking it.

A duet of like-toned screams were on cue too.

“Now for the arm. The classic way.” Neito then stated, which was followed by a crunching noise that would succeed a shoulder dislocation. “And finally... An awl in the eye.”

Kurahashi’s pleading and yelling told the story of someone else turning her mother over and measuring up an icepick jab into the left eye, finally delivering the coup de grace after three test swings. Not that it mattered to the Biologist, who was losing her voice each time the sharp point came too close.

“Oh, wait, that doesn’t end it. One more needle to the throat.” Neito stepped back. The man complied, summoning another sharp barb and punching it through the trachea.

“MHHTHHGH!” Kurahashi yelled one last time, which eventually devolved into intense sobbing once the tortured victim squirmed their last muscle.

“I don’t think Kurahashi will be much of a wild card now, Kato. For her father’s sake. But there goes point two; a loved one’s already dead. And three may depend on how you react, Kato, because point three is this: I will win, because I won’t make any small promises that keep me from my bigger ones. Following your rules has taken your eyes off the ball - pulled you back and forth. And back. And forth. You can’t keep moving forward like your enemies do, and therefore you’re going to lose. But maybe now that your promise will bear nothing more than sour fruit, perhaps it’s best you just forget about it? You might just stop us without a personal code to honor. Not like it mattered much in the first place.” He announced.

Kato held his mouth with horror, while Yada covered her bawling eyes.

“Well... That was it. My three cents. Kazuchika, I think we can call it off there.” Neito’s footsteps became more and more distant from the receiver.

“Yes, sir. See you in Bangalore, bro. Hope you’re bringing your S-game over there!” Kazuchika signed off too. The answering machine then cut off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the latest addition to this fanfic! This was the last one to be submitted on every-other-week basis; from now on, it shall take the weekly submission schedule, barring any slips (which could occur; life's really mixed up right now)
> 
> Hope you all hold onto that in the future!
> 
> \- Azure ;)


	8. Energy for Searching in India

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Race of FATE is on. Dividing lines established, and the first leg of the journey confirmed. Team Kazuhiko versus Team Kazuchika, to locate the FATE Enterprise control room.
> 
> And it all begins with a cryptic clue that leads everyone to Electronic City. In Bangalore, India.
> 
> Can our heroes keep their spirits high in spite of the terrible broadcast that Neito and Kazuchika gave them just before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for missing last week; it has been quite a crazy one lately. I'll do my best to keep this weekly as designed, but don't be surprised if there is yet another delay. 
> 
> \- Azure ;)

Whether for better or for worse, the half of AssUniv that escaped the Lost-Wing Angels’ reach joined Kato in an Ultra Hercules military carrier as it made the estimated five hour journey to reach the Silicon Valley of India.

Maehara briefly investigated a brand new device in his hand with Okano, Mimura, Terasaka, and Kimura - a Kyocera rugged flip phone. It was definitely outfitted with some customized technology and modified to accommodate some new features favored by smartphones. And judging by the appearance and materials, was very clearly made in the 2020s... But despite all of that, it just wasn’t the same as what most of them were used to. “I knew I should have deep-scanned my old phone after I accidentally clicked on an obvious pornsite scam address. In fact I probably should’ve even just tossed it down into the sewers and got a new one.” He jokingly lamented, garnering a small chuckle out of the rest of them and restoring an iota of levity.

“This was for the best anyways. Cannot afford to have these things break on us during the thick of it - as a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if these suckers could take an indirect gunshot like a champ.” Mimura whipped his own device open, investigating its applications and web functionality. The screen turned out to not be touch-sensitive, though interactable holographic imagery was possible through a 0 and up-volume button combination.

“Only the best for us. From him.” Okano acknowledged, eying the Chairman further down the loading deck of the aircraft, too far to overhear the implied mention of him.

“Rest assured, Okajima. After prevailing circumstances, I have ramped up all of the current protection protocols immensely. Rina and Sayaka Shiroyuki will be just fine at Blacksite DE, same as the rest of your family over at B-CV.” Kato held the Photographer’s shoulder as he spoke close and level to his face.

“That’s... Actually reassuring. Thanks, Kato.” He hesitated for a moment, before bro-hugging him for a flash of a second and then quickly patting on his shoulder, permitting his leave. Kato clumsily complied with his wish. 

“You’re holding up well to all of this, Fuwa. What’s the secret? I’m sure the rest of us gals would like some pointers, especially if things start taking a turn for the worse.” Yada started up with the Manga Editor Adept.

“Certainty with our stances and of those around us is all it takes, Yada. There’s an established value of survivability to everyone that is based on their most obvious traits. My kid? A kid - thus they are most likely to live through the worst of the rising actions and climaxes. My husband? Not without question, but as an older - not eldest - gentleman far from retirement and only had me as a partner (so far), he has some significant preservation points on his side.” She confidently answered back. Shadows subsequently fell over the CFO’s eyes, as well as Yukimura’s, Okano’s, and Hayami’s.

“I see...” Color begins to return to Yada’s irises.

“Yeah. And quite honestly, it’s better for me to look on the bright side. That being, once this is done and he’s over the trauma of it all, he’ll have the next big one-shot to write about. It could very well be the next long-running Shonen Titan, even!” She confessed further. “And I’ll get to edit what is essentially the zenith of self-insert fics. Those are extremely popular with the billions of fandoms these days!”

“Of course...” Okano sarcastically agreed.

Karma continued to study his own flip-phone and matched certain keys to essential commands. Naoko meanwhile was integrating the latest security patch of thought-based smartgun control to her elite-issue Berettas, before noticing that the former was in relatively close proximity. After a bit of hesitation while lost in thought, she decides to sit right next to him, so that both were on a bench tinkering with their technology.

“What is it, Naoko?” He asked after an awkward ten seconds, not taking a moment to even glance at her despite knowing that she had been taking potshots at infrequent intervals.

The Secret Agent clicked her tongue before responding. “I was just wondering that since you and your family have ventured the world quite a bit - including Bangalore - and since I have yet to have an assignment in India beyond Mumbai and both Delhis, that you might be able to tell me what I could expect once we’re down there.” She nonchalantly asked.

Karma stopped pressing phone buttons and looked forward into space for a moment. “Well, it has been some time since I was there, and never before in Electronic City. But if I can make a safe comparison of the rest of it to Mumbai, it is far greener, both in foliage and waste disposal. Nicer weather in most cases, friendlier people...” He started up.

“That’s always good to know, at least...” Naoko tilted her head in comprehension.

“The infrastructure is a tad more primitive, however, with power cuts being less-than-ideally plentiful and something’s always under reconstruction somewhere. Traffic is also a major concern, despite the smaller population. They could really stand to expand their most important streets to deal with that.” He then glanced at her for a brief moment.

“Oh... Would you say the streets are of the tiny variety? Miniscule, even?” She gave him a quick leer in kind.

“Tiny might be too strong, too informal, Naoko. And miniscule too professional.” He then fully gazed at her eyes. “Let’s say ‘intimate.’” He compromised.

“Hm.” Naoko thought for an instant. “Perhaps the generally altruistic population preferred it that way?” She questioned further.

“Out of respect, I won’t attempt to get that far into the indigenous’ minds. But I reckon that had something to do with it.” He answered back.

“Let’s hope it extends to foreigners like ourselves.” She asserted.

“Agreed.” He shut his phone, still looking at the fellow Ministry employee. The next five seconds would again feel like the original ten that brought them together during its interval.

“Naoko.”

The Ministry duo both looked the way of the loud, interjecting voice, revealed to come from an approaching Terasaka.

“What is it, Terasaka?” The Secret Agent fully swiveled her body to face him.

“I’m guessing one of us had already asked earlier before, but how might Karasuma and Irina be doing during this time? I’d figure on one hand, they’re getting ready to crucify Neito Shirai for crossing his kids. But on the other hand, they must feel compelled to stick with their own, real kid in Chiasa. I can’t see them entrust her salvation to anyone but themselves.” The former gang leader turned politician observed. 

Naoko took a sharp breath at the loaded question before answering. “It certainly wasn’t simple and especially easy to marry the two practically polar sides together, if that is what you’re thinking. Indeed, they were ripped clean apart, and ultimately, they had decided to sit on the sidelines for this operation. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t left their support behind though - every international border agency has been paid off to allow us clean entry and landing into all countries we need to go into. We’ll need to stay out of the sights of all police departments, but that’s always been small-time for us.” She explained.

“Got it. At least they’re still thinking about us.” He nodded in understanding.

“Man, it’s going to suck without the lead mentor. Raising Hell always felt a little bit more satisfying with Karasuma taking point.” Karma stood with arms spread.

“Maybe next time.” She too rose out of her seat and reassured him.

“I can’t begin to tell you how terrible it felt to not be able to do anything for Chiba, guys.” Hayami had her hands close to her lower face in front of several others. “We were at a construction site for a Halogen AC regional building. Just seeing how the hardhat crew were doing building his idea for an extended, arching set of ledges. I backed him up every step of the way, selected the right material to support it, like any structural engineer should... And then he got a multimedia message on his phone, and stopped going the same way as me. When I asked him about it, he just said ‘Go. Keep walking,’ with utter terror in his voice. I hesitated, and then he showed those sharp eyes of his, and then I had to comply. No matter what my gut was telling me.” The Kinetic Sniper sadly retold.

“I can relate, if only a little. Kanzaki had invited me to vet the nursing home she was working at, and wondering if star baseball players coming in for charity and helping the old-timers would be possible. I was all for it, even though I don’t think I made it there yet, so I came in as a skeleton crew. She didn’t show at the appointed time, so I waited in the lobby. An hour passed, then another... And just before I was wondering if she stood me up, I then got her text, requesting me to bring Matsukata into my car. I had no idea what this was about until a Kato Alliance member drove level with me on the road and asked me to follow.” Sugino bit his right thumb. “Kanzaki’s far too sweet a gentle spirit to extort, period. Let alone doing so through her relatives.” He then shook his head of the latest thought.

“We’re going to get them back, you two. Along with everyone else.” Yada stood between them and held their shoulders caringly. “Are you all of the right mind, though? We can’t save them and actively worry about the lot of you at the same time.”

“Not happening, Yada.” Hayami made sure any lingering tears were wiped away.

“Right. We won’t be a hindrance.” Sugino steadfastly stared back at the CFO. She thumbed up in response, and then walked over to Kato once she noticed his silent request to approach. It seems that the arrival time was close.

_ Will their high morale persist? _ Kato pulled her in close.

_ For now. It’s amazing that they’ve got strong spirits, let alone positive ones. But that terrible message earlier rocked them. We need to get some Ws fast. _ Yada replied with concern.

_ They’re coming right up. _ He nodded before stepping towards the backside loading door of the aircraft. “Attention, everyone.” He held a hand high in the air to catch their collective focus. When all eyes were on him, he took a look at his wristwatch and continued. “So, we are just about ten minutes out from Bangalore. Upon landing, we will be heading to the IT hub named Electronic City. My uncle and aunt always began their circumnavigations across the globe with this industrial park, in which they’d either backtrack to Phnom Penh, or-” He rechecked his timekeeper. “Move on to Madagascar. Then backtracking. Anyhow, that likely wouldn’t be enough to arouse suspicion, but again, the lack of decoration in my uncle’s diction when it came to this entry is likely supposed to stoke a secretive fire. And that particular fire seems to be for the park’s early reliance on a unique flier system.” He explained.

“Fliers? You serious, Kato? We’re going to a techland to nick and analyze some advertising papers?” Karma reiterated.

“It remains the only detail in the chapter that is... Detailed.” Kato gave a quick scoff. “In particular, his wording for the affair is also interesting - ‘helping with the ritzy fliers’. Sure, shininess would entice people to take up the offer on an ad’s presentation, but who in their right mind would call them ritzy? No, Norio’s attempting to describe something else and is hiding that fact from everyone.” He assessed.

“What do you think that is?” Sugino wondered.

“We can only know once we actually pick up one of those fliers.” Kato honestly answered back. “Naturally, I reckon Kazuchika and the rest of our friends will have figured out this much. We best be on active watch once we are outside the confines of this Ultra Hercules. Eyes and ears will be everywhere, so give as few details through audible speech as possible while also setting our own eyes and ears on them.” The Chairman directed.

“And once more, everybody, we don’t have Fifth Freedom privileges. City officials are not in the loop about the nature of our presence within their borders, so if we break the law to get things done, we cannot afford to get caught and waste precious time behind bars.” Naoko spoke on the metaphysical podium for a moment.

“Which also means we will need to watch out for each other, have each other’s backs. Should be a walk in the park for the likes of us. Are we all up for the task?” Yada inquired.

A resounding “[Y]eah!” followed.

“Alright then. Get all of your gear in order, and prepare for impending deployment.” Kato called for a close to the meeting.

Roughly ten minutes later, the military carrier landed within an airstrip on the outskirts of Bangalore. They then mobilized into a shuttle bus that would travel to Electronic City. Once there, they discreetly explored in quartets (with odd-one-out Ritsu naturally monitoring every pack from across each of their flip-phones).

It didn’t take them more than fifteen minutes of searching around before they would come across fliers that were forty-years-old (give or take), and in locations one would expect, from cork bulletin walls and plastic lid boxes. However...

_ You know, Kato, there’s actually quite a lot of ancient ads for Electronic City exhibits all over the place. _ Mimura noted, tearing one off from an old display.

_ Electronic City did need help with its fliers from a foreigner, after all. They used a lot of them to hype up the first few years of the expo’s operation. And like how code was written in- _ Kato checked his watch. _ -The early days, most just put newer papers on top of the existing ones once they began printing new ones. Poor practice in hindsight, but it works well in our favor. For instance, it does give our theory weight. _ The Chairman scanned another wall with his hand.

_ Appreciate the validation. Now how about the accommodation? _ Nakamura crumpled up several into a ball of yellowed oxidization.  _ Norio’s a right asshole if he expects his bro’s kids and grandkids to spend weeks combing all of the planted papyrus. _

Nagisa and Yukimura move on from a line of old flier vending machines and look further to another set of dispensers.  _ I don’t think he is expecting them to do that. _ The bluehead acknowledged, while Yukimura caught Hayami and Fuwa’s attention.

All of Team Kazuhiko (standing in a large eight-pointed star pattern to avoid suspicion) realized that alongside the more mundane handlers of ads, Electronic City had set up a gimmick all its own to bring about a gathering eager to learn what was new in the starting decade - The Cubby Wall, where one would get to use the Gecko Glove to climb up to any hexagonal alcove they sought and retrieve the flier inside.

_ Could the ‘ritziness’ belong to the list of adjectives that would be used to describe this monster, Kato? _ Naoko asked, holding her left hip as she studied the obstruction’s entirety.

_ Could...  _ Kato ran up one wall and took a flier from the top. He came back down and inspected it with the rest of the team.  _ The content of the ad is nothing special, if we’re taking out the promotion for a multiplayer version of Tetris. _ He started up again.

_ My, what a breakthrough that turned out to be.  _ Kimura quipped.

_ Hey, don’t knock it. Online Tetris is very fast-paced and requires really good dexterity. I kept up with it when I couldn’t go to the gym during Ministry breaks... And when the paperwork proved less worthy of a time-killer. _ Karma spoke back. Naoko gave an obvious eye-roll to the latter half of the admittance.

_ It could not just be the illustrations. We’ve seen hundreds of 1980s fliers between us at this point, and this one isn’t nearly as aged as them. Our lenses also indicate to us it has been soaked with a vat of invisible ink. _ Yada noted while keeping focus on the parchment.

Nakamura was the first to turn her vision faculty to ultraviolet and scan the paper, thus being the first to realize something strange about it.  _ You’re not wrong, Princess Morbucks. Turn on the UV, and the paper glows like a metal plate just out of the forge. _ She stated.

The rest got to see it firsthand. But that was not all to see.

_ It looks like whoever did this held it up from that little section at the bottom. _ Mimura noted, pointing out a small portion that was not bright.

_ That wasn’t out of pure convenience. That was intentional. _ Fuwa corrected.  _ Kato, turn the paper clockwise, and doesn’t that look like a G and an I? _ She asked them.

_ You know, now that you say that... _ Terasaka caught on.

_ Secret messages using the dry parts of an ad that is drenched in invisible ink. How diabolically inverted Kazuto was. _ Maehara snarked.

_ It appears this is only part of the story, though. Unless GI is supposed to mean something to a Kato. Kato? _ Yukimura looked up at him.

_ Not that I know of. We should take more from where it came from the cubby. _ The Chairman proffered, breaking from the circle togo back to the wall and pull out more.

What followed was a couple minutes of overlapping a set of the fliers across a table in many different positions like a jigsaw puzzle. A sequence was eventually constructed, with GI forming the last sequence for SHGI., and then followed by a multitude of numbers.

_ Looks like this is an identification string for a private bank account. _ Yada surmised.  _ Though I have no idea which company it belongs to. _

_ That’s because that company has long been defunct. _ Nagisa noted, showing on a holographic display emanating from his flip-phone. On a search engine, SHGI translated to Sando-Haas Grafting Industries. Which closed in 1990.

_ I guess that’s a possibility after several decades. But why would there be a code to a former Japanese-American surgical technology firm in India?  _ Karma questioned aloud.

_ I know why. _ Naoko flatly confirmed.  _ India was finally looking to turn itself into a more mainstream economy of the world. To do that, though, they needed to cull what every primitive system dealt with - the existing trusts that were bottlenecking competition and disturbing monetary flow. With them out of the way, they could fully focus on a movement towards international interests and investment.  _ She explained.

_ The Kato Family came in to help deal with that in... 1991. _ Kato elaborated. _ It looks like they planted seeds at least six years before, however, as Norio was tasked with giving offshore account numbers to these monopolies. While the smell of new money would always motivate greedy corporations, this was extra enticing as economic ratifications were being enacted during the period which would make it more difficult for them to bank on their domestic cash cows. Then liberalization in 1991 happened, and monopolies came crashing down. Kazuto must’ve played up to their surge of funds throughout the previous decade, which they couldn’t explain their possession of without sounding like liars before a far more trusted source... _ Kato thumbed his likeness to indicate Kazuto. _ Or outright admitting that they took illegal cash. _

_ Your father must’ve made your uncle bring new packets into these cubbies, Kato. _ The Ministry Agent spoke again in turn.  _ By the 2000s, nobody really ever touched this wall again, so he knew every single flier put there would still be there by the time you got to it. They would be here for you to make this clue. _

_ I take my earlier statement back, everybody. _ Maehara bit his lower lip.  _ This is diabolical inversion at its best. Or its worst - not sure which. _ He corrected himself.

_ Now what, though? _ Terasaka wondered.  _ Obsolete codes won’t help us now. _

Everybody was stumped for a moment. Until Fuwa took notice of something else.  _ Ladies and gentlemen, have any of us noticed that some of the strokes that would make up this lettering have emphasis? Namely, the diagonal line of the four and one of the vertical lines in the H? _ She pointed out to them.

_ Oh. What would you reckon that indicates? _ Okajima asked.

_Folds._ _Chief officers like to give each other secret messages using irrelevant financial papers this way. Of course I fell into the rhythm with that at some point._ Yada explained, before taking each paper and folding along the wider of the lines on each page. When they redid the same puzzle-piecing for the creased pages, a newer message could be read. In addition to the nonsensical initials and decimal numbers, an actual sentence was also formed. 

“Do check the Lalbagh afterwards,  Mm ate.”

_ Lalbagh? _ Sugino requested elaboration.

_ The Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, most certainly. _ Ritsu appeared on one flip-phone.  _ Another site within Bangalore, and much like Electronic City, a major tourist attraction for the city. It boasts dozens of attractions both natural and mundane, as well as being outfitted as a prime recreational park and bird-watching location. _

_ It’s a roughly twenty-five minute drive deeper into the heart of the city. _ Naoko checked her roadmap application predictions.  _ It’s no Electronic City, but it does have size though. And unlike here, we have no clue what we’ll be looking for. _

_ You sure? Those letters look to be names. And perhaps the “m” in the sentence means meters. Then notice the fact there are three of them. _ Okajima observed.

_ Range ring triangulation.  _ Kimura identified the technique.

_ Glad I got to put your boys’ knowledge of tracking to use, Kato. I knew that chopper tour to help them locate the cracker known as Le Enfant Terrible was a good idea in the long run. _ The photographer explained himself.

_ Glad you got something out of it. _ The Chairman expressed his gratitude before continuing.  _ Agreed, they are initials for certain spots in the gardens, and the numbers succeeding them is the distance of radii around those points. We shall split up to create a holographic layout and form the rings upon it to find the point or region that is intersected or encompassed by them all. Let’s get going. _ He directed.

For the next half hour, Team Kazuhiko made their way to Lalbagh, at which point their paths diverged to locate the three points that they would need to go to in order to form the triangulation. To mask their numbers and remain inconspicuous, each alternated taking the lead on their loose, mutating formations ranging from arrowheads to asymmetrical Vs. The name-imprinted metal placards that stood within each section of the gardens helped for each cell of assassins to determine it as the epicenter for each range ring.

_ Kapok Tree lock.  _ Maehara noted, having placed a micromachine on the plaque.

_ Shinto Gate lock.  _ Terasaka informed as well, slapping a node on the monument.

_ Glass House lock.  _ Hayami finished the point anchoring stage with a flick of a node onto the ceiling-mounted informative sign.

_ Great work, everyone. Now just a sec.  _ Yada slammed down her VITaL device onto the floor of a private bird-spectating room to see the signals coming from each of the transmitters. She then drew the range rings according to their square-model distance. After the third one was finalized, the answer became clear.  _ Got a region surrounded by all three circles. Judging by the map of the Gardens, it looks to be in a random section of the Green Grasses fields. _

_ Hiding it six-feet under in the middle of a densely-populated recreational area, with no way for fortune hunters and archaeologists to ever find out unless they ran through the motions like we did. Such a classic. _ Nakamura remarked.

_ Don’t be so conclusive, Nakamura. This is Kazuto we’re talking about. It could be within some bark of a large tree. On top of a light-pole or a statue. Or hanging from the far side of the moon. Whatever remains of it after some antimatter mice. _ Mimura argued back.

_ Place bets, everyone. We’re on our way to it now. _ Terasaka ordered, as he and his pack headed towards the flatlands.

Of course, it would still be an issue if they were all present at one particular location in the Grasses, so they were once more spread out and scoping out all attack points.

_ Kato’s brother and our pals still haven’t appeared on our radars. Any chance they haven’t figured all of this out at this point? _ Okajima surveyed the Northern end of the plains with crossed arms and a preoccupied expression.

_ We can’t dawdle around, Okajima. Even if that is the case, we can only assume Kazuchika is just one step behind us right now. The sooner we get the clue, find out what its deal is, and get the Hell out of dodge, the better.  _ Hayami reminded him.

The rest quietly watched over Kato, Karma, Naoko, Yada, Nagisa, and Nakamura setting up a perfect camping tent on the lawn. The old fashioned way naturally, complete with stakes, cables, sheets, rigid poles, and lots of hammering and clicking pieces. Sparing no effort to conceal their six-feet spade spadework, clearly. 

For better or worse, the crew were digging into the precise location. After a couple of minutes, the head of Nakamura’s shovel makes a dinging sound, alerting everyone to the clue’s confirmation. A dozen seconds later, and a metal box was revealed in the ditch.

After pulling it out and recognizing that there was no lock on the latch, the container was opened to reveal a wooden boat sculpture. 

_ A scale model of a sailless barge?  _ Nagisa observed the perfect carving.

_ Not just any barge, Nagisa. This is a replica for an authentic Vietnamese boat. You know, the ones that refugees would jury-rig and sail on to escape the rise of Communism in the country during the latter half of the 1970s when the North reigned supreme. _ Karma described the craft.  _ So then, next stop Vietnam? _

_ Would be a good guess, but I doubt it. This isn’t just any vessel used by the Vietnamese Boat People. In fact, this is one they never did use. Check this out. _ Naoko then showed them a file on her VITaL device after a half-minute of surfing.  _ That’s an image taken by Green Berets when they came searching for some of the Vietnamese lost at sea around Malaysia after a nasty thunderstorm. This boat washed ashore, but nobody was found in or near it. _ The agent stated.

_ Tragically awful. _ The CFO expressed her sympathies.

_ Officers facilitating their departure noted they were sailing out of Da Nang. _ Kato pulled out further files from the same holographic folder. _ If we require further evidence that we’re not going to another Southeast Asian nation - my uncle and aunt only ever visited Saigon in the same country. And only during their second circumnavigation too. _ The Chairman put them down and then manipulated the sculpture for further clues.  _ Alternatively, I’m thinking of France as our next destination. _ He cryptically noted.

Nakamura, initially puzzled, went behind Kato to see what he was seeing.  _ Ah... “Le Colonisateur.” _ She thought aloud to the rest of them.

_ “The Colonizer?” _ Yada roughly translated.  _ Oh right, Vietnam was a part of the French Colonial Empire for a couple decades, and had been in relations for centuries. _

_ France also did open its doors to the struggling refugees once their escape became the hottest scoop, perhaps becoming the biggest contributor of doing so. But Kato, without a city - Hell, even a municipality - the search is going to be a long one. _ Nakamura informed him.

_ Of course it would be. Which is good that my old man already told us where specifically he would have liked us to scan first. _ Kato answered back, before revealing again the last message created from flier-folding and pointing at the underlined M and m.  _ The two ms wasn’t just for units. More like the lowercase m was for meters (because who shorthands meters with a capital m?), and the other was alluding to a proper noun. Could’ve been the name of an attraction at Lalbagh, the name of a person who managed the Gardens... Or not either of those, and is instead the name of the city in France that became a hotspot port for resettling foreigners of virtually every demographic. _ He said.

_ Marseilles. _ Naoko deduced.  _ That was a place Norio’s journal mentioned twice. And in the clue, the t is upside down so the bottom curve looks a lot like an r, which when added with the first two unique letters, makes the prefix for Marseilles!  _

_ Can’t really blame him on going there twice; almost everything is better in France regardless of where you’re headed in there. _ The redhead remarked.

_ Alright. Destination marked. Let’s get the rest informed and make our way there. We’ll also need- _ Kato broke off as he then noticed something when he looked over at Yada. More specifically, what was behind her.

The CFO noticed his aside gaze and looked the same way.  _ A Butterfly-Bot! _ She identified the subtle threat.

_ Kazuchika created a surveillance drone to overtake the Dragonfly-Bot... _ Kato calmly, but frighteningly remarked.

Far away, a certain triple-quadruple backstabbing blonde who loves twirling revolvers looked up from beyond his magazine about serpents, curious about a statement that resembles one reverberating throughout the digital world.

_ That’s certainly one way to put it.  _ Karma snarked at the metallically-solid reference that came straight from the gears, as Naoko caught the machine and crushed it in a clenched fist.

The team then stepped out of the tent and scoped their surroundings, hoping to locate the controller of the miniature UAV.

_ There! _ Nakamura pointed out moments later, witnessing Isogai spying on them from slightly behind a tree. He also happened to be holding a console-like remote, which proceeded to eject a sort of microfilm, which indisputably housed the images captured within the tent.

_ And there.  _ Nagisa also acknowledged, eying Itona in the distance wielding a similar stick, which produced a picture reel of its own.  _ Oh- And over there. _ He noticed one more voyeur in Hara, who was already on her way into the thick of a nearby crowd.

_ Destroy the artifact, Yada. Now. _ Kato ordered.

The CFO double-took between her husband and the model for a moment before taking her lighter and incinerating the latter, quietly setting it onto the ground.  _ This only really works if we get those microfilms too, you know. _ She cautioned

_ Of course. That’s what we’re setting our eyes on now. _ The CEO asserted.


	9. Picture-Perfect Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Kazuhiko quickly realized that Team Kazuchika was not too far behind them in Bangalore, and they have received all the data that is necessary for them to advance to the next destination. They will need to take back that intel if they want to make sure they can stay in the lead in the Race of FATE.
> 
> The question is, can they do that? Neito's reluctant allies seem incredibly game for one-upping their more-free friends.

The three alleged Butterfly-Bot operators silently proceeded with their exit strategies. Isogai, Itona, and Hara’s hasty strolling towards their destinations forced Team Kazuhiko to begin following suit. The most discreet game of cat and mouse was about to begin.

Keeping up with their friends proved much more troublesome than anticipated, with said friends being a smaller force meant they were harder to keep up with. The stalemate created from their knowledge of how the other often moved wasn’t helping matters, either. Then, to truly gain an edge, all three found the perfect opportunity to drop a large wad of bird feed onto the grounds as they passed by. Swarms of birds, attracted by the food, flocked to the location, creating an obscuring haze of feathers and disrupting Team Kazuhiko’s trajectories. Watchers desperate to locate the more rare and elusive species of the region deigned to take a closer look at the sudden golden opportunity, creating further disturbances for the free AssUniv members.

_ How did they even know there would be such a large number of birds flying nearby to catch this food boon? _ Kimura wondered, trailing quietly from the flank to keep an eye on Hara and Sosuke, who had joined up with her minutes later.

_ No doubt Kazuchika engineered such a scenario. Probably had some of our friends round up a whole bunch of birds from off-site just so they could set them free for such a diversion. _ Maehara answered back, tailing Isogai several meters behind and refusing to let him leave his sight for more than a blink.

But they were not on the backburner for long. Knowing that the three (and whomever was watching over them) had to leave the Grasses and the Gardens in general eventually, Karma and Naoko organized their allies to reach the exits first so that they could bottleneck their escape routes. Unfortunately, this was not accounting for the rest of Team Kazuchika. 

As soon as Sugino got into position behind a lavatories building awaiting Isogai to come out from the North point, he had his far shoulder tapped on by the person behind him. He instinctively looked back to investigate the polite request, only to get an instep to the cheekbone that also slams the other side of his head into the brick wall. Momentarily stunned, he is then tossed into the janitorial closet in between the two gender-labeled halls and the door shuts on his face. His assailant, having taken a crowbar from the shelves near the closet entrance before it closed, proceeds to barricade the door grip with it, complete with twisting one end (using a muscles-enhancing gauntlet) so that it completely encircled said handle. 

“My sincerest apologies, Sugino-kun.” The attacker dissonantly pleaded for forgiveness from him, as her distant footsteps indicated her departure. Given the dulcet tone and word choice, Sugino knew exactly who did this to him, and immediately tried to get out to give chase.  _ Damn it! _ He slammed his fist on the door when it refused to budge and went for his microcommunications. But all he got was static.  _ Hey! Can anyone hear me? I’m in between the facilities at the North! Hello? _

_ Sugino, what was that?  _ Terasaka wondered, as he transitioned from his street food stall location towards the lavatories to check on him. But as he cut the last corner, he happened upon a tiny scene in which a young couple were reporting to a nearby Gardens security guard of a danger brewing in the Gardens. Said danger, as they pointed out... Was Terasaka, who abruptly turned back the way he came and powerwalked until the corner was fully covering him from the uniforms. He then formed his KAM AtTac greaves and ran up a nearby wall to hide himself on its lipped roof, such that the guards were dumbfounded by his splitsecond disappearance and kept investigating elsewhere.

Fuwa and Okajima held the South point with a strong grip, with both situated at tactful positions that fully complemented each other and the bottleneck.

Which is why their virtually foolproof plan had to come crashing down. With a car crash!

The loud commotion caused them both, along with the other nearby pedestrians and staff, to tense up and look over towards its source. A blue 2021 Toyota Corolla made an accordion out of its hood using the nearby, huge kapok tree. 

Lalbagh staff were quick to evacuate the area, creating a massive hemorrhage of patrons exiting the premises. This would naturally generate the panic necessary to make precise subject tracking impossible, including for the tailing members, who got nudged out of their initial trajectories. And regardless of any bottlenecking, any members of Team Kazuchika would leave unabated. But the chase was not over; the swarm of people will spread eventually, and Team Kazuhiko from both outside and in can locate them once more.

And do that they did, for the free-AssUniv members retreated to the far sidewalks that encircled the Gardens, awaiting their targets. 

_ There they are again.  _ Hayami observed the trio flocking towards the East end.  _ Keep on them. We cannot let them escape with those photos. _ She reminded her teammates. 

Nakamura had made it out of the North side by that point, who got the memo right around the time she noticed the infrequent barring of a janitor’s door, prompting her to give a specially rhythmically five-knock sequence. The one on the other end responds with nine knocks of a whole different tune, alerting her to an ally behind the doors, thus prompting her to open it up.  _ Sugino? How’d you end up in this mess? _

_ Let you know all about it when we’re back on the plane. _ He audibly whispered.

_ And why are you speaking? _ The blonde skeptically wondered, before catching a tiny, asymmetrical speck flashing on his varsity jacket’s sleeve, and pulled it off.  _ A micro-comm jammer. That damn Kazuchika works fast... _ She deduced, crushing it to bits in her palm and tossing its remains onto the ground.

_ He’s a Kato for sure. You think he’s already got the whole system on lockdown? _ The Star Pitcher spoke through his earpiece this time.

_ Reckon not; the fact he needs to put it on you means they’re far too short range right now to do anything terribly badly. Now come on, we got some acquaintances to intercept. _ She goaded him to follow along, which he did.

Back on the Eastern front, Terasaka is seen taking the main point, hoping to sift through the panicking population to see the distinguishable heads of his former classmates. It seemingly pays off well for him when he locates Itona’s white mane just as it makes a corner into a more secluded passageway.  _ Think I see one of my henchman; diverging on the second left of the main East street. _ He explained, diverging from the main path to investigate.

After making a second turn, this time rightward, he notices through the thick crowds another familiar backside, this time belonging to the intentionally disheveled-looking head of one woman named Hazama.  _ Knew I wasn’t imagining things! _ He thought to himself as he trailed in her footsteps in an attempt to find out where she and the others were heading.

Meanwhile, Maehara exhibited similar laser-focused intent as he parroted every one of Isogai’s movements. The latter seems to notice this too, as his “incidents” pushing and pulling various obstacles into the blonde’s way can attest to. These included, among other things, a roasted nut stand, a knocked over oil-drum (which was well-sealed by the packager to prevent leakages), and several nudged, confused townsfolk.

But a determined Maehara would not be denied - very little slowed the man down, for any maneuver that he couldn’t parrot from the Ikemen, he telegraphed nonetheless, allowing him to easily work around as necessary. A flying pole vault on the nut stand and railflips over the shoulders of the same confused civilians, for instance.

Their unorthodox game of cat and mouse reaches a zenith once Isogai decides to enter the backstage area for a local live theatre, which Maehara had no qualms going into either. A quick glance to the sabotaged wall-mounted light switch made it crystal clear to the latter that this is where his target intends to lose him.  _ No way to leave this place without causing a commotion, and structured to prevent the sounds of our goggles forming... This is as good a place as any for a cornered mongoose to start fighting back. In the old-fashioned way too. I Love it. _ He thought to himself as he whipped out his telescopic baton and carefully investigated his multi-level, cover-heavy surroundings.

Terasaka sees Hazama enter an internet cafe and chases her inside, which leads to them both quickly ascending two more floors en route to the roof. When he got up there bursting through the metal door for public access, she was nowhere in sight... Until he turned around back towards the entrance-exit and observed that she had jumped to the roof the other way and running off at top speed. He urgently follows suit, vaulting the same gaps and minding any corners that could be concealing Hazama and his crew in case she broke his line of sight. He was especially mindful of one roof that was being used to dry an oversized laundry pile of large, opaque blankets. Terasaka looked outside the box before long, however, and instead cut down the lines holding them all up. The pragmatism paid off, as it revealed to him that Hazama was continuing her escape flanking the roof from the right rather than through the coverings. 

Performing a monumental bound to land on the raised lip of another tall building, he maintains a close pursuit of Hazama, albeit being mostly unable to close the gap. Still, Terasaka’s diehard will to catch her and the others would not waver. If anything, every vault he had to perform only seemed to frustrate him and serve as motivation to end the chase sooner. 

His wish looked to be granted at long last, when the last jump is a two-floor drop from the previous roof to the next. Upon landing with a roll, Terasaka sees that there would be no easy way for Hazama to continue her escape along the rooftops, which would mean she would take the quickest route back to the ground. But even Terasaka knew better than that; to take that option, she’d still have to make some obvious sound on the way down. Which meant that she was on the very same roof, hoping he had taken the bait.

The former gang-leader knew as much in a more direct way too, for the faint breathing stemmed from strain and fatigue was audible in the distance.  _ Not the deck box... Not underneath that floor tile crack... Not the- Porta Potty. Of course not.  _ Terasaka shook his head of the thought, then noticed the far side of the roof entrance-exit had a small section of the roof hidden behind it.  _ You’re certainly not going to like this, Hazama. At least for the next year before we can look back and laugh about it. _ He cogitated before appearing as though he was going downstairs before quickly turning back and curving around to tackle whatever was on the other side.

He was right for hearing slight heaving behind the entrance. And indeed, he tackled something that wouldn’t normally be there. But those two valid statements didn’t mean he got exactly what he was looking for.

_ What the fuck-?!  _ Terasaka cursed as he fell over from the lack of support to his own weight by whatever he just charged into. It turned out to be a painting tarp, illustrated to flawlessly take its surroundings directly behind, and its flimsy supporting bars. The former gang leader rose back to his feet, gripping wads of the painted landscape before tossing it down madly upon noticing a Throw Voice micromachine placed right behind, no doubt emitting the sighing he had been hearing.

Terasaka would not have much time to process his realization over getting punked by his former gang, for Hazama, shown to have been sticking to the wall hidden by the fallen painting, pulled on some nylon cables to drag the canvas towards her. Terasaka, still standing on a portion of it with both feet, was naturally tripped up, making him not see Yoshida and Muramatsu pop up from an adjacent wall. Itona reveals himself to having been hidden inside the rooftop deck box, which he presses up into standing position. The inside was shown to have been reinforced with thick sheets of metal on the inside, which served as an easy indication that it would soon be occupied once again, this time by a more unwilling inhabitant. 

Yoshida and Muramatsu tossed their former leader inside, using his weight to bring the empty container back to horizontal and shutting the door on his back. Itona then pulled out three large combination locks and swiftly engaged them onto all of the corresponding loops. They watched for a little bit as the box rumbled, granting physical representation of the muffled roars coming from inside.

“Don’t take it personally, big boss.” Muramatsu sighed.

“You always said you wanted the best out of each and every one of us. We present to you: our very best. With some honest effort from Sosuke - for the fabulous painting of course.” Itona spoke with lament. After a few more seconds, they all looked between each other one last time and left the vicinity immediately. But not without dropping a timed-release HF transponder that Team Kazuhiko’s intelligence systems would certainly find on the last checkup later. 

Maehara continued to scan the vicinity, hoping to locate his former teammate amidst the mess of props, costumes, and stage equipment. In a rather risky move, Maehara continued to slam the pommel end of his baton into any prevalent piece of metal, causing a loud noise to reverberate across the set like how a generic horror villain tends to intimidate their would-be victims. When he heard a cardboard box of hand puppets topple over in the distance, Maehara remained vigilant, understanding it to be a trick from his friend, who would be too careful to let it fall intentionally.  _ Turnabout is fair play, mate. _ He thought.

Isogai started hearing some sudden, isolated noises himself, glancing over to a resounding tap on a truss light structure. A very familiar tap on said structure.  _ He’s trying to disorient me. _ The Ikemen realized, as then the next tap came from almost entirely across the set, hitting the bar that connected one stool to the pull-out bleachers.  _ Nothing’s going to mask your familiar treading, Maehara. I know you all too well. _ He silently confirmed, recognizing the next clamor to be legit, towards the Southern end of the room. Isogai psyched himself up to mobilize on the new point of interest. 

In another section of the chase, Okuda and Takebayashi were helping to escort Hara away from Team Kazuhiko. They went along a sidewalk going downhill, but despite their better efforts, the breath of their pursuers was going down their necks. The three then decide it best to split apart to trick the hostile crew, with Takebayashi running into a nearby liquor store. He ultimately had the modified camera slung around his neck, as Nagisa and Yukimura realized after crossing the horizon.

The bespectacled man speed-walked through the corridors filled with hard drink, searching for an atypical escape route within. He finds it through a fold-out window opening outwards and leading to a back alley. Takebayashi commits to it, delicately wall-jumping off of a large stack of beer cans to comfortably reach the lip of the small window, preparing to slip through with one leg and arm out first.

But before he could completely slip out, Yukimura caught his collar and pulled his head back into the building. She delivered a quick headbutt (making sure to strike him on the mouth so as to not break his glasses), and then produced a switchblade from the small of her back. She pushed the knife-end through the strap, liberating the camera from her target’s neck. Carefully seizing it with one hand, she used the other to push Takebayashi out of the store, closing the window once he was fully out of view. 

_ Too slow, Takebayashi. _ She taunted silently, before looking at the newly-snatched device. Her small smile faded upon further inspection of the item of interest, however, as she realized that all she got was the shell; both memory cards, either of which could be holding the images of the artifact, have been removed from the bottom.  _ Shit! _ She cursed, slamming the camera onto the top of a beer-box that was stacked level to her waist, and opened the window back up to look for Takebayashi. The man was long gone by that point, however.

Nagisa meanwhile was in hot pursuit of both Manami and Hara, having brought the chase down to a local train station. Descending down a set of stairs to follow them onto a loading platform, he notices a heel definitely belonging to one of the two women as it disappears through the sliding doorway of the open train. The bluehead does not hesitate to go in.

He almost eats a blindsiding roundhouse kick from behind the far wall of the chassis, courtesy of Okuda, which the former just manages to duck underneath to avoid (the sudden action nonetheless drew a collective-gasping reaction from patrons of the transportation service). Nagisa then snatches her wrist as it approaches in a punching motion, and pulls her down from the chairs, bringing her forehead-first into one of the handlebars.

This hardly fazed the bespectacled woman though, as she swiftly recovered and kicked at his front, left leg. Disbalanced, he was easy pickings for an Irish Whip that took him back out the way he came in on the train. She joined him with a high knee towards his crouched face, but he blocked and kept her legs up, setting up a spinebuster lift and tossed her into the external chassis. 

As Okuda struggled to get up, Nagisa noticed Hara on the other side, brandishing a camera memory card inside her raised right hand. Being reminded of his true objective sparks something in Nagisa’s mind, as he sprints through the train one more time and aerials through the final sliding door, just making it onto the next platform.

Hara begins running up the other staircase as Nagisa follows, but then she turns around and points back to the other platform. Nagisa follows the indication, and sees that Okuda too has a memory card, and that he could’ve been tricked. 

But before much can come from it, Kimura debuts on the scene, tossing Okuda into the back wall, hammerlock-restraining her and taking the memory card for himself. Nagisa and Hara then have a beat staring at each other, before Hara breaks first and continues running. 

Kato and Yada meanwhile have kept eyes on Kurahashi, who was suspected to have been carrying a data stick of her own after Team Kazuhiko had re-locked their sights on Team Kazuchika, due to her having split off from Isogai after very close contact. She brought them to the various shores of the Vrishabhavathi River, across open bridges and along the more populated sections of the coastlines. 

_ Yada.  _ Kato communicated with his wife as they kept pace with the Biology Specialist. 

_ Yeah, I see it too. _ She answered back. What they were both observing was something in Kurahashi’s right hand. Something that certainly wasn’t a data stick. 

“I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now.” The pint-sized orange-hair declared to them, stopping in her tracks in the middle of a sidewalk on top of an incline leading towards the body of water and turning around to face them. 

Isogai continues to carefully track down his pursuer as the latter in turn attempts to locate his quarry. The Ikemen seemed to find him first, having finally separated faked, metallic pounding from legitimate, and catching the former Casanova cut through an aisle, among many, of hanging costumes. He quickly catches up, rolling through the clear sections underneath the shorter-hemmed clothes of each rack until he gets into Maehara’s own lane, with him still looking around in front of him. 

Pulling out his own telescopic baton (but choosing to keep it collapsed to better deal with the tight space, Isogai holds it close to his face as he stalks ever closer towards Maehara’s back. The latter seemingly none the wiser, he continues scanning what’s in front of him, hoping to catch another glimpse of his elusive best friend. And finally... A weighted pommel is raised up high and about to crash down on his head.

Except it didn’t.

_!!? _ Isogai could barely process Maehara’s nigh-flawless reversal of his strike, dashing backwards to tuck his right shoulder into Isogai’s right armpit, making the strike have no leverage upon impact. Maehara then bent forward for an over-the-shoulder arm drag that took the Ikemen off of his feet and landing on the floor ahead ass-first. Still, Isogai refuses to remain compromised for long, performing an inverted up-kick to make some space. Maehara cannot return to the fray in time before Isogai gets back to proper standing as they catch each other’s striking hands in their first real clash.

“I have been following your lead in knife-fights, game theory, the whole she-bang since Junior High. You really think I couldn’t have seen a move like this coming?” Maehara taunted as they continued competing in the test of strength. 

“Just shut up.” Isogai demanded uncharacteristically. He broke the standing exchange by falling back, causing a grounded Monkey Flip that forced Maehara to roll over him. They both turned around, with Isogai having enough time to fully elongate his weapon and swing back while doing so. Maehara pulls back his torso before the point could hit him. 

Measuring each other up, they both try to go for another overheard. Maehara, though, also went for another strike at the same time, palm thrusting with his free hand which targets the open plexus. This stops Isogai’s momentum dead, forcing him to switch to parrying the overhead. Maehara quickly pulls his weapon back and attempts a lunge to the same area just stressed. Isogai manages to pivot his shoulders so that his torso avoids the forward attack, but Maehara’s shin kick as he passes by tripped him up.

Isogai refused to play second fiddle any longer however, as he does a one-two sideways swipes at face-level, forcing Maehara to back up this time. Maehara pivoted on his latest back leg, transferring energy into his other and coming right back in with a thrust kick to the torso. Isogai sees it coming, catching it with his free arm and slamming the striking end of his nightstick down on the knee.

Maehara retracts his leg, yelping for a moment in pain as Isogai closes the distance with a flying forehand swipe. The former pivots so both forearms can clash with the oncoming one, blocking the attack. His shoulder has subsequently completed its transition to being perpendicular to Isogai, meaning a shoulder check was in order and disbalancing the latter. Maehara then tries for a spinning backfist-like slash of his baton that aims low at the knees. Isogai just manages to slide his feet past the attack.

In the decisive moment, they both clash the points of their weapons with stereo forehand swipes, which transition into stereo backhand strikes. Not for either baton, however, but for their wielders’ throats. Isogai and Maehara alike saw it coming too, for they didn’t try to avoid it, instead getting the other to succumb to their own first. Before they knew it, both were being pulled in to meet nearly nose-to-nose, with the only thing keeping the nightsticks from crushing each others’ larynxes were their free hands pushing back against their weighted tips.

“You’re not exactly unpredictable either.” Isogai taunted back, before delivering two low kicks to both of Maehara’s legs. Compromising his foundation, the Casanova was easy to sweep onto his back. The Ikemen swiftly tried to get into the full mount, but Maehara managed to wriggle his right leg behind him and initiate the full guard instead. Regardless, the former tried for several overhead swings of his baton; the first met the ground as Maehara twisted his upper body away. The second he would be forced to deflect with a perpendicular block that only just gets into position on time. 

Isogai sees his chance and quickly pushes Maehara’s weapon arm down to the ground, allowing him free reign for a strike that can truly land. But even that is stuffed as Maehara’s free hand catches the fist holding the weapon right on time. 

“I’m starting to think you’re not trying. That sentence proved it!” Maehara yelled back. He then delivered his best headbutt that landed square on Isogai’s chin, stunning him enough for an up-kick push to his torso to make space. 

Now with both of them again at proper standing, they both scooched slowly, but surely closer to each other in preparation for the next clash. When they both felt ready, they dashed in for the next attack, which began with them both trying for a sideways whack that would push each baton back. One succeeded.

It was Isogai. But only because Maehara let him.

_ Huh? _ The Ikemen saw in bullet time Maehara’s grip willingly loosen as his baton was pushed away. Once it completely left his grasp, Maehara then produced a small, pencil-like microphone from out of his wrist. Internally, this was done via the Casanova using his free hand to press on his windbreaker’s lapel, which caused a spring-loaded mechanism to shoot the device out from his tricep area. 

The new stick presses against Isogai’s chin as Maehara’s baton collides with the far wall.

Nagisa continues giving chase with Hara out of the train station, where it leads to an open parking lot. It doesn’t last much longer than that, as Nakamura had been shown hiding behind a blue pickup truck and blind-sidingly shoulder checks with Hara as she unwittingly approaches. 

“Gotcha.” The blonde cracked a grin as she revealed to have pickpocketed Hara’s chest pocket to claim the data disk. The bluehair stops right next to her as they both stand against Hara, who rises from being supported by a nearby Nissan sedan.

“And I got you. And you.” The Homemaker pointed at the both of them. 

The duo appeared perplexed, until a little speck could be seen on top of Nakamura’s left knee. A red speck. Then they realized what was going on.

Hara then slowly pulled out a radio from her back pants pocket.

“Two shots. Two incapacitations.” Chiba, situated on one of the higher floors in the Public Utility Building of Bangalore, spoke to them, while keeping his Dragonuv trained on the woman’s joint. “Not the best ring to it, but you get the gist.”

“You can’t run from this now, Nagisa and Nakamura. So - Put it down.” Hara pleaded with them, obviously referring to the disk.

The two glanced at each other for a moment before staring back at the Homemaker.

“You wish that was actually a taser?” Isogai quipped when he realized what he was being threatened with was a mic.

“No, I got just what I wanted. Nice new zit, by the way.” Maehara answered back, before turning the device on. The “zit” in question turned out to be a Throw Voice micromachine that rested on Isogai’s chin... No doubt having been placed there due to Maehara’s headbutt to that section earlier in the scuffle.

Immediately, a terribly screeching noise bellows from the node, causing Isogai’s eardrums to virtually explode. His stance almost immediately crumples as he falls to his knees. 

“If only you found me earlier. When I put a linked micromachine onto one of the stage’s speakers. I’ve been told it’s never fun when that and a mic come together.” Maehara explained his trick, throwing the wand aside and stashing his baton behind him as he gave a Thai knee to Isogai’s left ear, ringing his head anew. The attack sends him out of the clothing aisles and into open ground.

With the Ikemen still incapacitated, Maehara rummaged through his former partner’s pockets to locate the memory card, eventually finding it. “Aha.” He interjected.

But there was no time to celebrate; he immediately found himself being pulled towards a metal container case and had his head driven into it, before being tossed with near-superhuman strength into a plethora of stage cutouts and curtains.

The perpetrator picked up the disk that Maehara had dropped during the ambush, and then went to pick up Isogai, who still didn’t seem to be having a good time.

“Come on, Isogai.” Kataoka’s voice ordered, as she slung his arm across her shoulders to help escort him out of the theatre.

Kimura couldn’t find himself holding onto Okuda for very long either, as she then used her glasses’ UI to activate a program once she knew the former had the disk in his possession. Said program resulted in the drive burning from the inside out. 

Kimura dropped the ignited card by impulse, seeing it smoke out of some openings. It wasn’t any ordinary haze either - whatever was being emitted appeared light-bluish and smelled unhealthy. Recognizing both of these as warning triggers, Kimura instinctively covered his eyes, nose and mouth, allowing Okuda a means to run off. It was not until after she had disappeared behind a corner four seconds later that Kimura realized that the scent was faked using spoiled dairy and cheese, whereas the smoke coloring was an improvised, but ultimately still harmless variant of Victoria Blue dye.

“I’m not going to ask again. Chiba and I will regret it, but we won’t hesitate.” Hara implored Nagisa and Nakamura to capitulate.

Nakamura sighed, before holding out one hesitating hand while the other slowly put down the memory card onto the asphalt. “Easy. Easy...” She requested as she crouched down to gently drop the disk to the ground.

“Now walk away and do not look back. And remember a lens is on you.” The Homemaker stated. When they complied (obviously very reluctantly), she stepped up and reclaimed the disk before walking her own way too. “Come on down, Chiba. I think we’re done here.” She dictated.

“Roger.” The Sniper concurred, breaking aim and preparing to leave.

Meanwhile, Kurahashi still stood opposite Kato and Yada, with the former continuing to hold onto the thing that went front and center for their confrontation.

“Kazuchika had given me this prior to landing in Bangalore. Most wouldn’t know why, including myself, until they were given a demonstration of what its kin could do.” The Biologist briefed the duo. “This ripple bug is infected with a mutated strain of Candida. It reaches valuable sources of water - like this river before us - and that supply could be decades away from ever being usable again. No drinking, no fishing, no washing your clothes, nothing.” She explained further, still without any of her usual passion.

“Kurahashi... Don’t.” Yada implicitly begged.

“Kazuchika knows that for as much as Kazuhiko wants to stop him and us, he wouldn’t dare allow something like this to follow through if he knew about it. Which is why I told you right now. And why I’m going to make it out of here, with the rest of the crew.” Kurahashi spoke again, independent of her best friend’s demands.

“A brilliant deduction, on his part.” Kato snarked, eyeing both her and the specimen. 

“Let me go now, and I won’t have to drop this.” Kurahashi delivered the ultimatum.

“Kurahashi, please-” Yada started up again.

The Biologist took a step back to match the one the CFO just made going forward, while also disengaging one of the latches for the lid of the test tube. “Don’t think I won’t.”

“I’m not. I’m not.” Yada protested the notion, attempting to settle her friend down. “Kurahashi, you spoke to us in Aomori, confirming your doubt that Kazuhiko can do what he must to secure you and your family’s safety. Given the lack of time and recent events, I suspect that hasn’t changed. Justifiably so.”

Kurahashi showed gritted teeth as she continued to listen.

“I’m not asking you to start restoring your faith in him, Kurahashi. But please reflect on Kazuchika and Neito - how are you so certain they will keep their word? That they’ll keep your loved ones safe? What if your father is tied up right next to the place they told you to release that ripple bug?” She continued on.

“I don’t have a choice, Yada! Get it through your head!” The strawberry blonde retorted.

“So you keep saying. But your eyes aren’t fully opened yet!” The CFO suggested, sighing deeply before continuing. “There’s a reason why white-collars as well as army officers read The Book of Five Rings, Kurahashi.” She argued, eliciting a quick glance from Kato, who has been shown to be an avid student of Musashi’s teachings. “There’s the central cause, and then there’s your own. We know which one the sword-genius preferred, right?”

“Stop it, Yada.” Kurahashi, beginning to waver, commanded. She was very obviously in pain from the situation, which Kato noticed.

“Musashi, who served under many lords, always sought his own betterment first and foremost. It was detrimental to his leaders, but it wouldn’t have been if said bunch could provide him what he needed as it should be given.” Yada’s eyes shined. “Now get a load at this.” She then snapped her fingers, with the extended index finger pointed towards her right eye.

Kurahashi, making the mistake of concentrating, was made witness to the sharp strobe from Yada’s tactical lenses when she made direct contact with her friend’s eyes. The suggestion technique had succeeded, and Kurahashi was now in a hypnotic trance.

“You can be under our enemies’ wings, and still do you, Kurahashi.” Yada spoke with a more mesmerizing tone while sliding baby steps towards her friend. “You just need to be more quiet about it. No open defiance, no expressly unwanted moves. More like you don’t have to help them. And it can begin by giving us that bug. And telling them it was stolen before you could let it go.” Yada proposed.

Kurahashi didn’t audibly respond, though the lowering of the specimen seemingly made something clear to Kato and Yada.

The latter of which held out a hand open towards the sky when she was within two meters. “Give it to me. And you can go, no trouble from either side.” The CFO finished her hypnotic offer, watching Kurahashi’s hand slowly move towards it. 

_ Goodness, she’s gotten so good at that. _ Kato thought to himself, observing.

But then, just as the Biologist was going to let the container fall into Yada’s hand, she pulled it back towards herself.

“?!” Yada stared at Kurahashi’s eyes again in confusion.

“Knew it...” Kurahashi, still incredibly wide-eyed and staring into space, muttered.

“Knew what?” Yada calmly questioned.

“He knew it.” Kurahashi finally gave a blink, returning her irises to a regular size. “Neito knew you were going to try your negotiation skills on me. A rep from the Ministry, he said. Reported back with just how good you were at suggesting things and making the best out of a lucrative deal. And that you’d no doubt use it on me.” She explained.

“And so they temporarily conditioned your brain to cringe upon hearing Yada’s voice. All so that nothing she offers is enticing to you. Appealing to you.” Kato realized.

Kurahashi showed her confirmation of that claim, unveiling her left clavicle behind the crew-neck tee. Several deep lashes at the top of the collarbone were present, as well as small slits indicating short knife-lunges that, if not touched said bone, were extremely close to doing so. “The right side is just like it too. I resisted as much I could. Great advice, Yada, but Neito gave it first.” She spoke. “I’m so sorry. But if you’re not walking away...” She then raised the tube high.

“Kurahashi!” Karma, appearing a ways away behind, yelled to her.

The Biologist made the mistake of turning around to face the new player in the game, allowing Kato the time necessary to dash forward and disarm Kurahashi of the test tube.

“Gotcha.” He inspected to ensure the specimen was still within. 

“Not for long.” Kurahashi, after shaking out the bad feelings on her affected wrist, then produced a handle-button, pressing the top. She then tossed two handfuls of bird seed into the river before running off perpendicularly to the three confronting her and disappearing behind a vaulted high brick wall. 

The switch caused the test tube’s bottom to shatter, freeing the ripple bug. Said insect detected the proximity of feed and followed it, making it fly towards the water.

“Get back here, Kurahashi!” The redhead yelled, now close to the scene.

“Forget her, Karma! We have to get that bug she just released!” Yada caught his attention, pointing to the bug as it was at the height of where the food was in the air. 

“I’ll jump right above where it’s going to be; Karma, take point on the water and be under me once I land. Yada, keep an eye on the bug and where it will go.” Kato strategized, clutching the railing and producing a glass jar of his own. When Karma leaped over said fencing, the Chairman tossed to him the brass cap that it belonged to.

Yada constructed her goggles for maximum tracking faculty. “Expected trajectory - your right, three meters, and five ahead. Five seconds to touch the water.” She informed them both.

“Good work.” Kato faced the indicated direction and took two steps back, while Karma moved to the location. A second later, Kazuhiko boost-jumped off of the railing holding the jar upside down as he quickly searched for the insect on the way down. “There you are!” He spoke swiftly, slamming the container down on where he believed he witnessed the ripple bug. Karma dove into where Kato was going to land, hand with the cap outstretched.

A huge splash ensued, with Kato’s dive completely disturbing the surface of the water. Yada looked over the fencing to locate her husband and the redhead, eventually finding them both reemerging simultaneously. 

“Tell me you got it.” Kato turned to Karma and inquired.

Rather than answer verbally, Karma instead rose his right hand out of the water too, revealing the jar to be perfectly sealed. With the insect still inside.

“Ripple bug secure.” Kato observed and smiled.

Yada shared in the relief for a job done well, as did Karma.

But then, the Chairman’s grin faded.

“Whoa, I know that look. Did we catch the wrong ripple bug?” Karma questioned.

“No, there’s none others around here. But...” Kato swam in closer, inspecting the specimen again. “This ripple bug isn’t infected with Candida at all!” He assessed.

“What?” Yada requested confirmation.

“The test tube must’ve been prepared to prevent our goggles from analyzing its contents; that’s why we took Kurahashi for her word on how deadly this bug could be. But now that it’s out, we can see that we were chasing a red herring.” Kato elaborated on the ruse, screen-sharing his workup of the insect.

“She played us. Kazuchika did.” Karma put in layman’s terms.

The CFO looked back towards the brick wall, letting it sink in that Kurahashi is now very much long gone. “Shit...”

Kato then took to his comms system.  _ Report in, everybody. How are we?  _ He asked.

_ Not going to lie if you won’t, Kato. It could be better. _ Sugino noted, as he plied apart the last lock keeping Terasaka inside of the deck box on the roof he was left behind.

_ Regrettably, Hara got away. _ Nakamura delivered her evaluation, continuing her stroll alongside Nagisa.

_ Ditto for Isogai. _ Maehara, shaking out the cobwebs caused by Kataoka, stated.

_ What now? _ Okajima asked.

_ It’s not the end of the world - just yet. We just got to stay ahead of them. In Marseilles.  _ The Chairman announced.  _ Back to the Hercules in twenty, everybody.  _ He ordered.


	10. Lovely, Furious, Passionate Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love - Country of Love  
> Furious - Neito's brief outburst  
> Passionate - Team Kazuhiko's tirade against a certain someone  
> Energy - The theme of the chapter names
> 
> Will this speak volumes of what goes down in Mareseilles for both forces in the FATE Race?
> 
> I hope so.

Dusk had arrived as soon as everyone on Team Kazuhiko did, with the Ultra Hercules properly restocked and refueled by a Kato Alliance member and awaiting the last crewmembers (Nagisa, Nakamura, and Yukimura) to climb aboard. The aircraft did not waste another second to ascend from the airstrip and take flight, heading towards France.

“She was as nice as anyone giving you a roundhouse kick to the face can be.” Sugino reflected on the situation that temporarily took him out of the action, while Nagisa dabbed his cheek, cut slightly due to the edge of her shoe running across it during the attack. “How does that even work?” He asked his longtime friend now playing nurse. 

Nagisa stared sideways in befuddlement for a moment before thinking of an answer. “Couldn’t honestly tell ya, Sugino.” He finally responded, setting down the cotton and preparing a wide bandage to lay on top of the wound.

Sugino himself turned away for a couple of seconds. “Am I crazy to think that’s just a bit hot? Just the tiniest bit?” He questioned.

“Mate, I’m married to someone who almost inadvertently killed me in junior high. And that couple over there have given each other chocolates on Valentines by kicking each other.” Nagisa argued, also motioning to Maehara and Okano. “I think you’re pretty sane.”

Sugino grit his teeth. “I put so much stuff off for far too long...” He remarked.

“I have no excuses for allowing Nagisa to get caught in a marksman’s target scenario, Yukimura.” Naoko bowed to the smaller lady. “As soon as I observed his and Nakamura’s heightened vitals, I tried to locate Chiba amongst Bangalore’s highrises. But if they didn’t capitulate, I’m certain I wouldn’t have found him before he fired a shot.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Naoko. It is disheartening that it couldn’t have been avoided, but we’re all doing the best we can. It is good that in this FATE Race, only three individuals actually want to kill each other - it allows us to ensure we live and learn. Though of course, the enemy gets to as well.” Yukimura explained her stance.

“We just have to be the faster learners, then.” Karma approached the girls. “By the time we’re done with this, they’re going to wish they level-grinded all the way back in World 1.” He referenced using video game logic.

“Of course.” The Ministry agent rolled her eyes before refocusing. “Shouldn’t be a problem with this crew.” She reinforced, which got Yukimura to beam again.

“Word is, you got outsmarted by your former cronies, Terasaka. Must say, I’m not surprised.” Nakamura snarked. Despite everything before, she actually seemed to be returning to her more comical self.

“Extremely hilarious, Nakamura. But how about instead of looking at the glass half-empty, how about it being half-full? They executed it almost perfectly. I cannot be mad at it in the least.” Terasaka commented.

“Maybe not. But if they keep doing their thing right, we might be too dead to feel anything about it.” Hayami stated.

“Sink the negativity, everyone. We know where we’re going. Team Kazuchika made off with everything they needed to find out, but they still need to find out. Which means we remain in the lead.” Fuwa saw the bright side, as Terasaka had yearned for. 

“Well, when you put it like that...” Okajima eyebrows raised.

“No doubt, it would sound a whole lot better coming from the man of the hour’s mouth though.” Kimura crossed his arms.

“Where’s he been since we returned to the Hercules?” Terasaka searched the immediate vicinity for the Chairman.

“In the cockpit. Meditating on the latest op. Hoping he can do something to negate the cons once we start up in Marseille.” Yada answered for everyone.

This was enough for the crew to reach a mutually silent contemplation, as they instead kept to their own devices.

Maehara and Okano didn’t quite return to their own conversation just yet, however.

“You know, I’ve never noticed Kato this troubled before by such a difficult challenge. It pains me to see him so downcast by it too - reminds me of the rest of us at the end of Kunugigaoka Class 3-E.” Okano admitted.

“That’s because he’s almost practically facing himself, Okano. Kazuchika can pretty much be Kazuhiko’s interdimensional self from an alternate reality that has long gone to shit and its residents utterly hopeless for a better change.” Maehara explained.

“Born and raised in the fury of his youth’s terrible situation. We know perfectly well what that’s like too.” The Olympic Gymnast stated.

“It’s scary how much we’re connected once we look past the surface of the skin.” The Fashion Model looked towards the front of the military aircraft. 

Kato sat in gorilla position on his spot just behind the pilot chairs, spinning his nicotine-free silver vaporizer across his left fingers deep in concentration.

Meanwhile, as the night enveloped India’s skies, Team Kazuchika could be seen doing their own regrouping, albeit choosing some remote pit stop bar as their rendezvous point instead of the loading dock airstrip for a huge aircraft. Their entries were sequential rather than in bulk too, for one by one they appeared out of an assortment of vehicles. Some chose instead to taxi to the gas station across the street, or hitchhike on the steps and bars of pickup trucks. Yoshida opted for commandeering one himself, so that he could transport the other members of the formerly Terasaka Gang personally.

As for the ramshackle bar, there was obviously more to it than meets the eye, for the trapped AssUniv members could push a display shelf deep within the bottom floor to reach their true location, safe from any sets of prying eyes and ears.

“Ah, Yoshida. And Muramatsu, and Hazama, and Itona. Looks like you all successfully one-upped your fellow assassin siblings. Mhmm, much like I with my own.” Kazuchika greeted the latest arrivals with open arms.

“We did what we must, Kazuchika. Nothing to celebrate about.” Kataoka admitted.

“I disagree. Every day is a gift from above, as they say! The mere fact that we’re still breathing, while many others - stronger, quicker, smarter, wiser, more resolute, and more deserving for life than we are - are not is cause for celebration.” Kazuchika then suddenly studied all of the others in the room. “Honestly, I was led to believe that assassins of all people would understand the idea that life ends in a blink, and we’re only in control of how bright it is when it does go kaput.” He subsequently expressed his disappointment.

“Get on with it, Kazuchika. Given your raison d'etre, we expected you to be so above your brother and his penchant for rants and tirades.” Okuda snarked.

“I’m glad you actually listened to all of that. But brilliance still sees brilliance, and a great monologue whenever it is executed well is beyond marvelous. But if you insist...” The older half-brother refocused. “Itona, Isogai, and Hara - your photos, please.” He motioned to the metal table behind him, which had a projector-like machine situated front and center.

The three complied, pulling out the data disks of their specially-tooled cameras and left them right next to the device before walking back.

Kazuchika inserted all three drives into some slots in the contraption and turned it on. The data from the images created one whole, holographic that overpowered the ceiling lighting with its glowing green display. Said hologram was a perfect render of the model Vietnamese boat that Team Kazuhiko had unearthed. “Now let’s see what we got here...” He put on some frames... With no glass, and studied the artifact. “Hmph, ‘Colonizer’. Any of y’all history buffs?” He asked the audience curiously.

Whether out of reticence or genuine cluelessness, the stolen AssUniv members refused to respond to the announced query.

“Eh, don’t answer that. Obviously means France, seeing as how the words are clearly from a romance language. But where in France...” Kazuchika proceeded to consult his own version of Norio’s journals, flipping through pages vigorously to find entries corresponding to the country. “Right, he went to four cities, including Paris. That’ll be a nightmare if we’re going there.” He mumbled audibly enough so that the others could hear. He then took a look again at the flier message he and the others had recreated back at Electronic City telling them to head towards the Botanical Gardens. Particularly at “ Mm ate.” “Hold on a second, I’ve seen this before.” He turned back to the book and furiously flipped through to find another log. “Ahah. Read and weep, boys and girls.” He showed the inside to the rest. “‘I happened upon my charge jotting down a series of names into his own journal. They belonged to all of the islands that comprised Hawaii, which of course we were on. I didn’t pay it much mind until I remembered back in Fiji, he carved onto a Volcanic wall his own message, like many others. Then a squiggly... that favored the C and I. Coconut Island, he was writing out, since we haven’t put boots on the ground on any other C (if there is one).’”

“There’s many cities starting with M in the country of love, Kazuchika.” Hazama flatly noted. Though it was obviously to take him down a peg, the rest of the crew briefly ribbed her for breaking their gentle(wo)man’s agreement for silence.

“But there’s only one that Norio ever went to throughout both of his journeys.” Kazuchika twiddled a finger at her, before turning off the projector and picking up his phone for a call. “Neito.” He identified the recipient. 

“I’m hearing you loud and clear, Kazuchika. What have you got for me?” Neito nonchalantly answered the call as he was playing a self-game of Go while writing out countless strategies on a small notebook. 

“Marseilles is our next destination. And where Kazuhiko will be going.” The elder half-brother informed his father figure.

“Are you certain?” Neito requested confirmation, playing the next three moves in the board game. Obviously, the latest updates have not deterred him in the least.

“Certain. What happened over there back then?” Kazuchika bounced back.

“The journal doesn’t tell you?” Neito continued on with his writing.

“Only the elaboration of clues, you know that. So?”

For the first time, the armor of Neito’s psyche chipped, evident by his pen stopping at one point for a split-second. “Information will come momentarily. For instance, once you set foot in the next city.” He responded back.

“And for instance, like crucial details of the enemy’s abilities?” Kazuchika snarked.

“Do I detect another rebuttal, Kazuchika?” The LWA Harbinger flawlessly sleuthed while continuing on with his writing.

“I’m just saying that it would’ve been great to know that my brother’s spouse is an expert at NLP and hypnosis, so that I could’ve planned away from letting her do that at all.” The Team Leader spoke his stance.

Then Neito’s writing hand came to a full halt that time - a dark-blue ink blotch formed at the spot on the paper. “Are you indicating that I’m wrong? I was wrong to not tell you that I was aware of her possessing such abilities?” He asserted.

Kazuchika took a mental step back. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s good to want to know your enemy, Kazuchika, but it wouldn’t help you improve nearly as much if you didn’t find out for yourself. Besides which, you must realize that you’re up against your brother - a two-in-one tactician and strategist. Stick to what you know in tactics, leave me for the strategies, and we won’t lose.” He argued. His tone grew more and more aggressive as the sentences dragged on.

“I get it.” The Team Leader repeated.

Neito paused for a moment, before returning to his unflappable writing. “Good. So make haste for Marseilles, yeah?” He ordered.

“Plane’s preparing as we speak.” 

“Better. Oh, and one more thing.” Neito got back to his writing with indifference. “When Kurahashi unleashed the bug, I know it took her some time to comply with the order. I had a pressure plate timer installed on the primary latch, you see.”

Kurahashi, realizing all that time was spent resisting her best friend’s wishes constituted the delay, gawked worriedly. 

“Tell me Kazuchika: was she restrained, or did she refuse again?” The ringleader interrogated one more time.

Kazuchika alternated raising his cheeks with unease. Moments later, he turned back towards the woman in question, who stared back with judging eyes. He gave both pupils a deep examination before turning away to provide an answer. “She was physically delayed. Maehara dropped down right behind her and kept her from dropping the specimen just as she was about to release it.” He replied.

The stolen AssUniv members all showed collective surprise at Kazuchika sticking up for Kurahashi. Perhaps the fact that he had lied to do so did a number on them too, since a Kato... Doesn’t normally do that.

“Very well. That’s all.” The Harbinger acknowledged, concluding the phone call.

Kazuchika slowly put away his cell before turning back to the rest of Team Kazuchika, who continued to gape at him. “What y’all looking at? There’s more pressing matters for Neito; he shouldn’t be bothered by such trifle shit like how things went wrong, especially when it ultimately went good.” He refocused. “Now let’s be on our way.”

Not entirely convinced by the reasoning for one thing or another, the rest of Team Kazuchika glanced between each other as they followed him out of the establishment.

Both forces pressed forward, and before the next sixteen hours were up, Team Kazuhiko had landed on an airstrip on the coastal countryside of Marseille. This time around, the Kato Alliance had arranged several souped-up minivans to take the team into the heart of the city, as a variation in case Neito and Kazuchika had caught on to how their opponents had mysteriously arrived onto the field.

_ Welcome to Marseille, ladies and gents. My uncle and aunt visited Europe’s cultural capital twice, and both times they marveled at the glory and grandeur of the metropolis’ many sites and venues in the inner and outer districts, from the Chateau d'if (The prison from which the fictional Count of Monte Cristo was incarcerated on) and the Old Port that anchored the primary link of the Mediterranean with France, to the Opera de Marseille and the influentially-modernist Unite d’Habitation.  _ Kato described while playing a slideshow on everyone’s tactical lenses.  _ Norio proceeded to narrate inside his journal that if he were to ever return, it would seriously break his heart if any of it wasn’t still around by the time he did. So before he departed for Nepal in... 1983, he signed a massive blank check to perfectly fund a donation devoted to preserving the majesty of the municipality. _

_ What a surprise, Norio’s crazy for the arts. _ Nakamura ironically remarked.

_ Indeed. But, he never really knew which foundation or infrastructure would be best to serve that goal, so he deferred to Kazuto to make the transfer for him. This would benefit much better than Norio predicted in hindsight, as the injection of liquid assets assisted incredibly with economic reflation in the coming years, despite the... Restraint policies at the time. But Kazuto never openly said how he invested the money, and to whom. So we have to find out how to figure out the who. The who would most likely be the next source of clues for our quest to reach the FATE Enterprise control room. _ He explained further.

_ Do you know where we can begin? _ Naoko questioned.

_ There are a couple of things that seem of special note to me on Norio’s entry. We’ll check them out first once we are on their stone. _ Kato planned out.

Ten minutes later, All of their land vehicles had arrived, dropping Team Kazuhiko in the heart of Centre Bourse. A fragmented and delayed arrowhead formation allowed them all to discreetly leave the area for the first site to explore. 

_ Ah, France. You remember it well right, Yada? _ Naoko reminisced on her previous visit to the country while dealing with the Kingslayer Crisis.

_ I recall Nice as if it was yesterday. Hell, in our lives, a year before may as well be yesterday. _ The CFO also pleasantly looked back on the recent events.

_ Perhaps I should’ve followed in Red Eye’s footsteps, along with Chiba. _ Hayami quipped.  _ Must be fun that traveling is a part of the job description. _

_ Our jobs are hardly as glamorous as yours, Hayami. Besides which, you and Chiba must’ve been only a smidge away from taking international customers.  _ Yada bounced back. 

_ You know, I just had a street stand’s pain au chocolat while we were leaving that market square. And with it now deep down in my stomache, I must say that there is no reason to wait to get a taste of France’s cuisine. Yada, Naoko, I apologize for my crudeness, but screw you for not bringing back some treats for us from Japan. You are no different from Korosensei. _ Terasaka ranted at the ladies.

_ I don’t see what you’re crying about, Terasaka. Just order half a million of them and charge it all on Kato’s card. _ Karma earnestly suggested to him, swinging the screen end of his flip-phone back and forth while doing so. This actually has the larger man lower his index finger when it was initially raised to protest.

_ Kato was there too. How’d you like it?  _ Yada asked the same to her husband.

_ I concur. The city offered some much-needed soothing while remaining vigilant of the situation. _ The Chairman looked back to answer.

_ Well, not too much attention, of course, since our conflict against Nakajima and Davids was never too much of a worrying one.  _ Naoko attempted to look over his shoulder from behind when he continued facing the way they were heading. 

_ Of course. It was all planned out, if what you three said was true.  _ Nagisa asserted.

Yukimura’s mind flickered at that reminder.  _ Right. Planned out. Mostly by one major player, too. _ She added on, eying an individual in the party.

Soon enough, all of them joined her in staring at the person in question. 

Kato sighed.  _ Yes, I understand your suspicions, all of you. I agree with it, in fact. But this is no such case. _ He pushed down the idea.

_ You sure? Because if this is what we think it is, I haven’t been updated just yet. _ Naoko held her hip judgingly.

_ Yeah, this is all very new for me too. _ Yada noted as well.

_ I’m being honest - I didn’t know France was- _ Kato was interrupted.

_ No no, don’t do that. _ Fuwa pointed at him defiantly.

_ We know your deal, Chairman sir. So no answers until we give you the questions they have to pertain to, Kato. _ Maehara explained.

Kazuhiko stopped dead in his tracks as he anticipated what was coming to him.

_ Tell us this: have you planned for this occasion in the slightest?  _ Okano queried.

_ Uh-uh, not good enough. _ Yada waved aside the bland inquiry.  _ Try this instead: Was Marseille ever a part of your machinations? Is our coming here manufactured in any way other than how we see it now? Ever? _

_ Yada, come on, I never knew France- _

_ That is not what she’s asking, Kato. _ Naoko crossed her arms.

Kazuhiko swallowed as all eyes remained on him.  _ Fine - the truth then. And the truth is, _ He went up to his wife, holding her shoulders endearingly.  _ I never planned for Marseille. This is just as new to me as it is to all of you. _ The CEO admitted.

The CFO looked far into his pupils, realizing his words’ validity.

_ And what about Bangalore? Hell, the attack on NTT Medical Center, marking the sudden debut of the Lost-Wing Angels? Maybe it didn’t go down the way you hoped, and maybe it has taken a completely different direction from any strategy you had formulated since you knew it existed. But was any of it possible in your eyes from the moment you understood enough? _ Naoko stepped up to him, moving the goalposts further.

Kato put up his best visage of honesty yet again.  _ No. This was never any of my intentions. The agency that is harming us, if I had my way, would never have made you all so personally involved. If I willingly did that, I’d also let Karasuma disembowel me on the spot, because that is not what he made me promise him. And that’s the truth. _ He asserted his stance again.

Everyone else on Team Kazuhiko continued to gawk for a while longer.

_ Okay. _

They plus Kazuhiko then turned to the one who spoke next, revealed to be Karma. 

_ I didn’t see much use for the revelation one way or another anyways - we all have a job to do all the same. Kato, thanks for the confession. Now let’s move on. _ The redhead added on.

_ Of course.  _ He cleared his throat and returned to leading the way.

Roughly half an hour later, the first destination became clear - CMA CMG HQ. 

_ This signature shipping-container company opened all the way back in... 1978. Norio mentioned that it played a key role in moving Marseille into a higher-tech economic system, with it being able to carry the brunt of the heavy industry and keep a higher capital investment in circulation. _ Kato explained as they looked up at the rhombus-like skyscraper. 

_ You think Kazuto provided a great funding to the firm so that it could take up more overseas contracts that brought about more technological evolution? _ Hayami asked, seated at a faraway outdoors table, coffee in hand.

_ Plausible. But now that I’m looking at it, I think we should move on. _ He bit his lower lip.

_ What? Why?  _ Okajima glanced at him for a second.

_ There is no sense of nostalgia in this display for my father. Sure, a fancy-looking building, but certainly wasn’t that way decades before. Kazuto would understand the crucial involvement of the company - and then move on to something that would actually keep him awake. Not to mention... _ Kazuto whipped his flip-phone open.  _ Ritsu - I opened their VPN through a Backdoor. Confirm to me again what was the oldest artifact in the Gallery? _ He asked the device.

_ Of course, Kato. According to logs, the earliest update belonged to a spoiled bottle of Scurvy medication dating back to the Golden Age of Pirates. Found in Container A1212-BY, two years ago.  _ The cheerful A.I. informed him, while presenting digital evidence on his screen.

_ That’s the oldest thing we’ll find in there? _ Nakamura questioned condescendingly.

_ Indeed. It seems that the company has been cleaning up their archives every five years. Anything Kazuto could have put in there is now long gone. So we best move on; the truth is still out there. _ Kazuhiko concluded. 

And so Team Kazuhiko did; they returned to the heart of the municipality within its tourism sector. In particular, museums and architectural sites.

_ It’s no secret that my family was big on history - the story behind everything that is, even if it ultimately turns out to be a case of “[H]ey; shit happens.”  _ Kato narrated, as they are all going into the Musee Regards de Provence.  _ With over twenty primary museums whose exhibits span the entire timeline of France’s oldest city, you all can see why Marseille would win a European Capital of Culture award in... 2013, and maintain a healthy number of annual visitors. There’s no doubt in my mind that there’s something in at least one of them that Kazuto is hanging above us to the next clue. We just have to give them a search. _ He asserted.

_ Hope you’re right. No doubt your brother and our pals are not far behind now. _ Kimura vigilantly looked around to make sure no prying eyes were on any of them as they all walked through the ticket gates.

Despite the growing confidence in this path, and the heavy leaning on a nostalgic element that Kazuhiko confirmed that the freighter headquarters lacked, the clue he also asserted was there proved more than a little elusive. Dozens of paintings, sculptures, restored relics, and authentic pieces of the past were inspected as quietly as possible by the crew, across five main museums, which included the widely-acclaimed La Vielle Charite and Palais Longchamp. But nothing looked out of the ordinary for the perplexed racers.

That was, until they went to the Marseille History Museum.

_ Whoa... _ Mimura noticed something bizarre when he inspected a bronze-barreled cannon that, according to its nearby plaque, was said to have helped protect the city’s Bastille (which despite even sharing the same full name, didn’t quite make it as cool as the Bastille that was destroyed to begin the French Revolution). 

_ I heard that, Mimura. What’s up? _ Naoko peered around an Ionic column and approached the Movie Buff. 

_ Take a look at this. _ He spoke back to her, making room for the Agent to get a good observation angle.  _ These very bright lights that ensure that tourists can get a nice, easy look at the artifacts are so powerful, that they’re hiding black bodies. Some of the lower budget, old-timey films that predated CGI and specialized paints used materials with these properties and left them out on hot summer days to create a small glow that would only look brighter than it did in a force Noir filter. _ He pointed at the scratched goblet again.  _ Now we wouldn’t be able to see them if the light outside is brighter than it can give off, which is often all the time, especially in front of such a great amount of lux. But provide sufficient shade... _ He then covered a portion of the exhibit with a fully-opened pamphlet.  _ And the answer is spelt out for us. _

Naoko held her chin in thought.  _ Indeed. It appears as though Kazuto or his men had come in during a quiet night shift and painted on some black body-infused sediments that would quickly fade away, but still maintain the absorbing, radiant properties. He would know for certain the mainstays of the museum so every trace would still be there, and because they were fragile little trinkets in the first place, he never had to worry that they might be cleaned of what he delicately put on them. _ She theorized. 

_ We better get the rest up to speed on this. _ The man suggested, breaking away from the exhibit to locate the others.

Once everyone was updated on the situation, they got to work deciphering what it could be elucidating for them.

_ Well, it’s certainly atypical to be putting on a whole bunch of painted dots and dashes onto a piece of history. Small enough for appraisers to believe wear and tear throughout the years, but provide the message we’re looking for. The question is, what is that message? _ Maehara rubbed his upper lip thoughtfully. 

_ They are hardly randomly-sorted specks, Maehara.  _ Sugino pointed out.  _ This is an Early Braille sentence. _

_ You sure it’s Braille? Even if you could argue the proximity of the dots, the system doesn’t use lines like that. _ Yukimura asked.

_ Second Edition Braille yes, but the original 1829 edition did use dashes. I know because Kanzaki had me study a guidebook on it when I was going to visit her nursing home residents - apparently a couple of their factions used that as a hobby system to secretly communicate with each other. I’ll have you know, it was not easy to get going with it.  _ The Star Pitcher elaborated.

_ Old-timers have factions? _ Nakamura asked condescendingly.

_ I’m sure my old man would have had at least one if he lived long enough. And I’m sure many of you can say the same. _ Kato crossed his arms and closed his eyes while answering.  _ In any case, it holds further weight because Braille was a Frenchman - far too much a coincidence and more like my father was just dying to play that card when he had the chance. We know how he was with me at this point - I wouldn’t put it behind him. _ He added.

_ Hmm, if what you say is true, Sugino, then I figure this and a bunch of others are meant for us to translate. Into names for other permanent exhibits perhaps? _ Nagisa suggested.

_ Sounds like a plan. _ Terasaka tilted his head in agreement.

And translated they did. None of the hidden sentences took too long to transcribe, and all of them corresponded to a name within the rest of the history museum. First to a scrapped model anchor that was slated to hang from the hull of the Napoleon screw battleship, then to a concept sculpture to the Porte Royale arch, and later on the inside of a study desk within a replica room of a safehouse for French Revolutionary leaders seeking refuge in the city.

Finally, it took them to a copy of  _ Turkish Merchants _ , a diversely-significant eighteenth-century painting from Vernet.

_ What the? This piece doesn’t have any of the earlier dots and lines that were bringing us across the building. Not on the borders, or even on the canvas itself.  _ Okajima observed.

_ That means this is the end of one crumb trail. The clue we’re onto is right in front of us somewhere. _ Karma turned to him.

_ Right you are, Karma. And when we cannot see it right here, then it must behind something we can’t look past. This painting for instance. There must be a reason why the guy in the front is looking past his horizons from this perspective.  _ Mimura focused on one of the subjects of the masterpiece.

_ I hope all of this goose-chasing can just turn out to be a case of shit happening. Being obsessed with the reason’s beginning to piss me off.  _ Okano rolled her neck in frustration.

_ Now now, Okano... _ Naoko implicitly reminded her of something.

_ I know; play by the rules as long as you need to. So, Kato? The clue?  _ The Gymnast settled down, proceeding to egg on the man of the hour.

_ Right. _ The Chairman nodded. He then lifted the bottom end of the painting’s borders to collect whatever was behind it.  _!? _

The rest of Team Kazuhiko tensed up almost as quickly as he did.

“Ah, shit...” The leader cursed audibly.


	11. The Energy Necessary to Understand Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Write that title as a new equation in physics, everyone.
> 
> Marseilles is where everyone in the Race is going, and both teams are going to find out the very good reason why, and how it fits in with the worldly tours that Norio and Kazuto have gone through during the late twentieth century. One way or another.
> 
> But maybe while one side is still clueless, it wouldn't hurt to do a tiny, itsy bit of sabotage, right?

Kato turned back to his comrades in arms, having lost the wide eyes of surprise despite retaining the urgent firmness of his right arm underneath the famous painting. _How vexing. A wall-mounted landmine placed behind the Turkish merchants. Triggered by sharp sounds, it looks like, since it hasn’t detonated yet._ He explained to the rest.

_Your father brought you all the way to France just to try and blow you up?!_ Terasaka mortifyingly interrogated him. 

_Perhaps he’s thinking if you couldn’t find yourself out of this situation, then even his son wasn’t worthy of finding out the location of the FATE Enterprise._ Naoko morbidly suggested.

_Guys, this isn’t helping. We have to do something about this explosive!_ Nakamura reverted back to the elephant in the room.

_I am keeping the painting at place; it won’t make contact with the mine to make a collision sound and detonate it. However, the canvas seems to have been layered to prevent outside noises too, perhaps to truly make this a test. Thus we cannot take it clean off to help us disarm it._ Kato informed everyone.

_And we cannot use liquid nitrogen to freeze the mine’s moving parts either; the hissing sound from an aerosol can would indisputably set it off._ Karma gritted his teeth. _EMP would be foreseen too; probably a backup switch upon shutdown detection._

_What are our options?_ Okano wondered frantically.

_There is one surefire method - torching it with one of our aircraft flares. It’ll scorch a hole in the casing and the controls. We can use a small mute charge too to make the burning noise silent long enough for it to do its job._ Fuwa offered a solution.

_That would work nicely. Except..._ Yukimura eyed the illustrated merchants.

_Suddenly makes everyone think this is actually the original painting, huh?_ Nagisa pointed the matter out to the rest.

_Well, someone here can afford to pay for it. At least, up to the amount the museum paid to get it._ Nakamura held her hip and looked at the person in question.

Kazuhiko looked down in the ground for an instant and then nodded at her.

The others in Team Kazuhiko wasted no time setting up and getting into position. Hayami pulled out one of the modified flares in anticipation for the dangerous procedure, while Nagisa armed the mute charge with a three-second timer. Terasaka, Okajima, Mimura, and Fuwa all positioned themselves at the sliding wall sources once the op was conducted. This left Sugino to swipe a touring student’s sculpting clay that was used for recreating a smaller version of the La Major Cathedral (trading for it with a custom-tooled, clicking varigrip [“it’s all good; I got forty of the same!”]). Remodeling it into a small sphere a few centimeters in radius below that of your average baseball, Sugino scoped out the fire alarm roughly ten yards down the hall. Seconds later, he lobbed the material at a high, curving arc, where its weight slammed down on the device. The alarm blared across the museum moments later.

“What the-?!”

“Fire! Fire!”

“Remain calm!”

“Where is the hazard?”

“Everyone - Steady yourselves and make for the exits!”

The team cut off their room with the sliding doors before anyone could get in or take a look. That was when Nagisa, Yukimura, and Kazuhiko got to work in disabling the explosive. 

The coming moments were few, but far from relaxing, as Yukimura timed her flare activation perfectly to the detonation of the mute charge, and swiftly jabbed the pyrotechnic into the landmine once Kazuhiko fully raised the painting up for a clear shot. The maneuver succeeded; as soon as the chemical flame sunk an inch deep, the mine’s blinking light faded away. The sparks emanating upwards from it however, burned a hole through the canvas.

_Alright, it’s disarmed; now take it and let’s get out of here._ Karma directed.

Seconds later, all of Team Kazuhiko had escaped the building through a basement window that was only steps away from the decorated hedges, which served well in covering their leave. They found themselves a tight corridor in between apartment complexes two blocks away from the sight to regroup and rest up.

_That was a little more dramatic than it had any right to be._ Maehara held his chest with relief upon the situation’s conclusion.

_You did grab the clue before we left, right Kazuhiko? What did it say?_ Hayami asked, getting to the point.

Kato stared unnervingly long at her for a period of time, before breaking away and handing the note over to Yada. Perplexed, she nonetheless unfolded it to read what was written.

“Hope you enjoyed going through the dragon’s lair, little brother! - KK”

_Kazuchika’s played us again. Made it look like Kazuto did this, and threw us off the trail. While we were looking at the freighter company, his team must’ve searched here first, and decided to slow us down with a red herring trail._ The CFO theorized.

_Great, so now the gap has been closed? Hell for all we know, they found the clue and we’re the ones behind now._ Kimura expressed his frustrations, emphasized by kicking a nearby trash bin in the alleyway.

_It’s certainly possible. And if it is the case, we’ve no idea how to stay level with their footsteps. Fuck, this is terrible._ Naoko crossed her arms and looked out to the streets, ensuring nobody was spying on them. 

Kato mimicked their mutual discouragement, until he then noticed something right next to the garbage that Kimura had just struck. Turning more towards curiosity, he then activated his tactical lenses to look over the scanned pages of Norio’s journal once more for reference.

Nagisa noticed his aside focus. _You’re thinking hard about something. What?_ He pointed out to the rest, drawing their attention on the Chairman as well.

_The museum wasn’t an absolute waste, everybody._ Kato then geared his hands in front of him, concealing his chuckling smile of brilliance as he continued to stare at what he had already been staring at.

_Oh, this is going to be good._ Terasaka realized Kazuhiko’s confidence in his words.

_What are we looking at?_ Okajima double-took between the Chairman and the multiple points that could be at the end of his line of sight.

_Power. Energy. My father made a sizable investment in the name of generating electricity for France._ Kato explained his glaring at a junction box situated high up on one of the walls. He then worked through the UI of his lenses so that others could see the recording that he put up on-screen. _This entry detailed France's noteworthy move from fossil-fueling like the others to becoming the world leader in nuclear power consumption._

_Right..._ Yada snapped her fingers in realization. _France as a whole was becoming disgruntled with the huge fluctuations of oil during the early seventies and mid-eighties. A crisis here, a glut there, then another crisis, many probably thought it was best if they avoided the complications altogether. Thus, the country of love decided to take a look at the shiny, new option on the table._ The CFO then took a look at her open flip-phone. _But Kato, there’s no point in going to a power plant with this info. First off, the nearest one for Marseille is hundreds of miles away. But foremost, these kinds of buildings are liable to unpredicted meltdowns and reconstructions. Clues wouldn’t reliably last the decades of being hidden there._

_Absolutely right, Yada. Which is why Kazuto promoted the movement to nuclear power indirectly._ Kato put his hands down and exposed his cheeky grin.

_Okay, you’re losing me now._ Okano admitted.

_I did say France as a whole had their mind set on making the next move into nuclear energy, but that didn’t mean they were ready to do it yet. Such a huge change in the economy will still fall down hard on much of the bottom-ninety-nine, even if it was delivered through steady doses over the next... Thirty years._ Kato turned to her and responded.

_Ministry of Economy employee here - I’ll put an asterisk on that._ Karma raised his hand with authority. _More like hard times well into fifty years. And that’s not even taking into account setbacks that would shatter the fragile faith in something as publicly-deemed as dangerous as nuclear power._ He added on.

_Right... In essence, France didn’t need help committing to, or putting resources down on an investment in power reactors. But what they did need was accommodation for their population until the implementation was complete._ Yada spoke in layman’s terms. _So where do you think the money went, Kazuhiko? Surely charities helped there, but that’s too easy for someone like Kazuto._ She asked.

_It sure would be. Not to mention, he doesn’t get to stomp on some villains doing so - something he doesn’t need money to do. We’re still missing something._ Kazuhiko jingled his dog tag necklace in concentration, stepping out of the corridor towards the sea. A quick scan does it for him. _Yada, remind me of one of the issues concerning oil in the... Eighties?_

_A glut?_ Yada guessed.

_A glut. Surplus of oil. And yet._ Kato then controlled his lenses to bring up two pages from the journal. _Norio stated that he and Yuna had to go through hundreds of berths looking for spare oil canisters. Why?_ Kato turned around to face them all. _French crime syndicate raids._

_What were they, pirates?_ Mimura scoffed at the idea.

_Now more than ever, mobsters knew the value of any oil that came into the Old Port. They ran a racket to claim it all and sell it to the public at highly-inflated rates all throughout the... Decades of a tumultuous period._ Kazuhiko elaborated.

Naoko caught on. _The blank check went to mobsters. A sting transaction that would expose the reason why the city was suffering from a shortage in spite of the worldwide surplus, and justify an EU-sanctioned operation to take it down._ She concluded.

_I know where he made the deal too. Come along, everyone._ He gestured them all to follow, leaving the secluded spot entirely.

Minutes later, Team Kazuhiko returned to the Old Port, and when they reached a good vantage point of the harbor, Kato pointed at a location for them.

_There._ The Chairman confirmed, referring to a mid-twentieth century frigate, which heavily stood out from the sail-heavy, more modernly-designed ships nearby.

_That’s the ship Yuna sketched out._ Yada pointed out while also activating her VITaL and holding a scale replica of the image in front of her sight of the real deal. It was a perfect match, save for the colorful cables that lined some of the narrow masts. 

_I would love it if your old man only picked this place out only because it had easy access to the nearby pirate-related taverns, and had nothing to do with the fact that his grandfather probably rode in a World War II-era battleship just like it._ Okajima slapped Kato’s close shoulder with the innocent joke.

_That’s a long line for a tour through the warship’s many parts..._ Fuwa acknowledged the boardwalk parallel to the frigate.

_No time to waste on this with Team Kazuchika just a step behind or ahead. We sneak onboard._ Karma dictated.

And so they did. Karma (for bringing up the idea) led a pack that included Sugino, Hayami, and Nakamura through a quick swim from the far side of the port onto a secluded spot underneath the ship. The blindspot then served them well to sneak up onto the flight deck favoring the aft of the seacraft.

_Up the secondary mast, everybody._ Karma ordered, as they all quietly ran up the vertical structure. At this point with their Octo-Ink and height, there would be no way for any passersby to notice them, so long as the infiltrators didn’t give them a reason. A reason, say, like firing Wire Wrest cables to wirewalk their way to the bridge.

Thankfully, the noise caused by titanium hooks being anchored into place against solid steel was drowned out. By the incessant blaring of a patrol boat’s air horn that enraptured everyone’s attention. 

“Turn it off!”

“I never turned it on!”

“Lower it down, at least!”

“I don’t know why it’s doing it!”

The yelling and arguing persisted for the sentinels on board the police metal shark, as they scrambled to discover the source of their vehicle’s malfunctions. Meanwhile, Maehara and Okano, hanging on the hull’s sides favoring the back, had a quick and quiet laugh between each other, with Ritsu on Okano’s InReTs clearly in control of the onboard systems of the seacraft.

The ear-piercingly loud diversion allowed the four to proceed onto the bridge unnoticed. 

_Never knew why the bad guys liked to do deals in front of a whole circle of windows. Surely someone would see the lights on and the guys wearing shades and suits._ Nakamura shook her head as they turned over every nook and cranny. 

_High rollers always love high stakes - we know this well. But they must also love being high too, to choose this as a transaction location._ Karma admitted with a chuckle. 

Sugino gave a little laugh himself as he scoured the room. He eventually found something upon searching deeply through a bottom cupboard door that would’ve led to some pressure valves. _Hey guys! A small security vault!_ He identified the item of interest. 

The rest dropped their task and took turns looking through the narrow opening.

_Well well, that it is._ Nakamura nodded lightly.

_Number lock too. Don’t recall there being a number combination inside the journal._ Hayami pointed out the black dial.

_I don’t deny it being in there somewhere. But I have a better idea._ Karma scoffed, before pulling out a white mint, licking one side and then sticking it on the keyhole of the vault door. Seconds later, a small detonation that was muted to the outside by the closed room occurred, clearing out the restraining bars of the safe. From there, all that was necessary to gather what was inside was a pull of the doorbar.

What was inside?

_What the Hell...?_ Sugino muttered, as he collected the contents of the safe and raised it up for all to see. See that it was a worn-out, patched-up courier’s bag. 

_Why did the captain lock this old sack up?_ Nakamura tilted her head as she opened it up. _Oh, something’s in it._ She noticed, pulling out... A bicycle handlebar-mountable sign that prohibits pineapples?

_Some things, more like._ Hayami observed as well, seizing a leather-cased, hand-sized notebook. Taking a look at what was written inside was just as nonsensical. _I see a lick of Japanese in some of the words. The writer seemed to be communicating in another vernacular for the next four, though._ She analyzed.

_Let’s take it back to the crew - Kazuhiko ought to be able to figure this conundrum out._ Karma literally wrapped it up by taking the sign out of Nakamura’s hand and returning it inside the knapsack. After ensuring there was nothing else in the safe, the four made their way out and off the frigate as discreetly as they got in.

Three minutes later...

_A backpack, a sign, and a book with multiple languages..._ Kimura spoke in layman’s terms, currently holding said backpack after being the first to ask what the group had unraveled. _Let me spin you a tale, everyone, on why I’m a cop and not a detective._ He ironically remarked.

_Everything here is so random, and it’s worse-off because we know Kazuto doesn’t do random. He probably never has in his life._ Naoko paced back and forth in thought.

_What is he referring to, then?_ Maehara looked to the skies, as if the answer was going to drop down in front of the crew.

Kato spun his flip-phone across his right hand palm several times, having chosen to view the sidewalk to concentrate. Suddenly, the Chairman’s head picks up as he puts away the device and rises out of his leaning spot. _We can figure it out inside the Ultra Hercules._ He ordered.

Everyone agreed, standing up and in a fragmented formation began strolling towards Marseilles’ Western end.

But before they could fully leave the Old Port, new complications arose.

_Whoa, a huge swarm of people heading our way._ Nakamura noticed the tourists and commuters coming out in droves from the buses. The fifteen fullsize buses, to be exact. 

_Not a coincidence, either. My brother delayed their arrivals so that a mass could come. Everyone, keep together as close as you can. If you do get split off, pair up with each other as soon as possible, and watch over Kimura carefully but discreetly._ Kato’s eyes squinted with determination over the impending covert situation. 

_You got it._ Nagisa voiced their collective affirmation of the order.

Team Kazuhiko faced the mob head-on, hoping to pierce right through unscathed. But the narrow, unmarked pathways on the boardwalk were very easily intruded, which made it impossible. Forward momentum long gone, the crew did their best to weave through any openings they saw, while grouping back up when they had the chance. The air also felt a lot tighter than usual, though they all chalked it up to them being so compacted physically as well.

_Ah! Mimura. Have you seen Kimura?_ Yukimura greeted the Cinema Buff as they traversed the swarm.

_No. I tried grabbing at his wrist, but some raised arms and shoulders put a stop to that. I’d seriously like to think he’s just ahead of us right now._ He responded.

Without the answer she was looking for, Yukimura opted to hop up several times to look over the hundreds of heads. _What the?_ She observed a literally man-made outline that left a circular void that the influx of people continued to preserve as they reached that point. _Something weird’s going on over there. Going to check out._ She notified him.

_Got your six._ Mimura nodded in agreement. 

In another forty seconds, the duo slithered their way onto the scene. 

_Shit!_ Yukimura’s eyes widened upon witnessing what everyone was walking around. It was Kimura, one knee on the ground and clutching his forehead in pain.

_Kimura!_ Mimura kneeled down next to him.

_I’ll be fine. Muramatsu and Yoshida handed me my ass though; they took the courier’s bag and are heading out the same way as us!_ Kimura shook his head and explained.

_I’ll tend to him. Get the others up to speed and stop them!_ Mimura looked up at Yukimura and commanded.

_You got it!_ She agreed without a second thought, pressing on while the other two pushed towards the mob’s flank on their right. As she continued her stride forward, she then turned on communications again. _Everyone, we lost the asset. Muramatsu or Yoshida has it now._ She provided her update on the situation. 

_Shit. Keep watch in all directions, everyone. They couldn’t have gone too far._ Naoko ordered everyone.

And she was right, for in the next ten seconds, they would be found again.

_Ah! Northwest side, moving onto Ave. St. Jean!_ Nagisa eyed the Chef and Mechanic.

_We’re closest; we’ll take the point._ Maehara asserted, splitting off from the large mob towards the indicated direction. He was joined by Okano and Terasaka moments later.

Muramatsu and Yoshida realized that they didn’t leave the site unnoticed, as they took a quick glance back to see the three trailing them. Thus, the second they cut the corner on a building into the aforementioned street, they bolted as rapidly as they could. The trio had made the trip around too two seconds later, and upon noticing their quicker pace, sped up to match.

The pursuit on foot was short, but intense. Maehara and Okano, the more athletic of the bunch, had no trouble closing the gap in a direct chase, while the larger and heavier Terasaka had to pick and-or create shortcuts to keep up, even breaking off from them if he saw something that fit his path better.

Be it car hopping, through tight street markets, or around construction sites, the former Gangmembers were losing their lead. Soon enough, Terasaka returns onto the scene, bursting through an open cafe window to dive tackle Yoshida (who was wearing the courier’s bag at that moment) to the ground. Yoshida just as quickly kicked him off, but then Maehara dove deep to catch his lifting ankle behind him, slipping him up again. With Okano also in proximity, escape on his own was impossible, so Muramatsu came close enough for Yoshida to toss the backpack over. The Chef caught it, alerting Okano and Maehara, and the chase continued, while Terasaka kept Yoshida apprehended.

“You’re making this so much harder than it has to be!” Terasaka growled as he produced cable ties to bind Yoshida’s wrists behind him.

“Lives we care about are on the line, boss. Of course it had to be this way!” The latter argued back with gritted teeth.

“Man, since when was I the one with the most open eyes?” Terasaka angrily commented. Before he got electrocuted on his upper back.

The source was a cattle prod from Itona. Joined by Hazama, who hip-tossed Terasaka off of the forcibly prone Yoshida and onto the hood of a nearby parked car, they then hoisted the Mechanic onto his feet and followed behind the pursuit. Itona also cut the ties off of Yoshida’s wrists as they gained speed.

_No... No no no, you’re not leaving me in the dust for the second time in a row._ Terasaka thought to himself, laying on the ground with stiff muscles. Motivating himself from deep down, he regained full control and darted off after them once more. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the team have been keeping track of Terasaka, Maehara, and Okano’s blips and have been following up through a number of alternate paths. The team of Kimura, Mimura, Yada, and Okajima were heading directly Northward to stay in range, until they were confronted by Okuda and Takebayashi, who made their presence known with a dual shoulder check that propels Mimura into a parked sedan.

The other three turn back upon hearing his familiar grunt of pain and notice their colleagues turned foes. Kimura prepared to pull out some sort of weapon, but the duo were quicker in revealing their hand first.

“Cease!” Okuda raised her right hand above her head immediately after impact, with Takebayashi standing in front of her in case the other members of Team Kazuhiko did not relent. “Or I’ll put you all in afib!” She threatened with an unstable tone, revealing that she was gripping a soundwave emitter of some sort.

“How are you intending on accomplishing that?” Okajima interrogated.

“This emitter will produce an inaudible noise that will repeatedly be absorbed and reflected by your diaphragms, causing it to shake and push against the layers directly on your heart. Incessant pressure will trigger the cardiac’s irregular heartbeat in that capacity.” Takebayashi explained to them.

“With what medium? Air wouldn’t bring it past our necks.” The CFO pointed out.

“Have you considered the air you took in while contending with the crowd?” Takebayashi countered.

Mimura lifted up his chin with realization. “Oh, you masked one of your airborne chemicals with the mob situation. Had us breathe the prerequisite for this plan to work.”

“We only wanted to use it as a last resort, mind you. But Neito made it priority number one. So, back off now, or we’ll be forced to incapacitate you.” Okuda ultimated again.

_Yada, want to try and charm them?_ Mimura communicated quietly to her.

_Neito’s decades of persuasion has been shown to overshadow mine - won’t work. But I do have another idea._ Yada answered back, before stepping forth with open, yielding hands. “Alright, alright, Okuda. And Takebayashi. We won’t resist your intentions.” She twiddled her right hand in a motion that would encompass herself, Kimura, and Okajima. They both understandably looked at her with surprise.

“Okay. Pick him up and step away.” Takebayashi ordered, motioning to Mimura. 

“Hold on, I never said he was going to not do anything about you.” The CFO grinned, while also pointing up with her left hand.

Okuda glanced upwards (while Takebayashi watched the others) and found out why their ponytailed acquaintance was so confident - a midsize drone flying high above the nearby rooftops, and its payload, as shown with a quick zoom in to the aircraft, was a dirtbox! It was clearly evident that the machine was stealing the signals control of Okuda’s device, as her two attempts to press its activation switch did nothing. 

“You guys forget, I’ve dealt with guys playing with soundwaves just over a year ago. No way I’ll falter against anything like that so easily for the second time.” She waved them with “ta-ta!” written all over her face, and pushed further north, pulling Kimura and Okajima along. Meanwhile, Mimura rose up, pushing Okuda into Takebayashi. During the moment that the collision was inelastic, the Cinema Buff managed to cuff them both by their right wrists and stake the chain to the ground.

“Now if we get a place to say, why don’t you sta-” Mimura started up with the duo, before his assassin instincts flared up and interrupted him. He turns his attention towards the ground and sees a nearby, abandoned paper cup get violently knocked over by a nigh-unnoticeable force.

Immediately realizing that is their cue, Okuda and Takebayashi proceed to sandbag their weight, causing the handcuff chain to bring Mimura off-balance, and followed it with a dual bell clap with their free hands, compromising his grip of the restraints and allowing them to escape, while Mimura staggers behind cover.

The one responsible for knocking over the discarded cup, unsurprisingly, turned out to be Chiba, who pulled back the bolt on his Scorpio sniper rifle as he gazed out an open window in the middle of Marseille’s small, but perplexing highrise. His headset gave a faint ringing beat, which he answered. “Go for Mountain.” He started up.

“Mountain, this is Bridge. You’re needed for Point B.” A voice sounding much like Kataoka announced on the other end.

“Got it. ETA in ten.” He acknowledged the order, breaking aim and making haste to wherever the next point was. 

Returning to the leading chase, Terasaka stayed close behind the rest, while Okano and Maehara remained stuck in the middle trying to catch Muramatsu, who still had the courier’s bag firmly in his grasp.

Hoping the duo would be too focused on getting ahead, the Chef then decided to stop dead in his tracks and try to clothesline them both. A mistake for him, as Maehara slid underneath his extended arm and Okano railflipped over him entirely. The stretched limbs did prevent either from easily ripping the bag away from him though. 

Quickly switching plans, Muramatsu supported the worn strap with a grip on the other side and then hook kicked Maehara’s hand to force him to let go. The former was then quick to slide away to avoid Okano’s fast savate kick in its entirety, backpedaling into an alternate street. It seemed to be the plan for them the whole time too, as Hazama and Yoshida joined him swiftly enough. Okano and Maehara naturally returned to the sprint, but not before helping Terasaka with the quick turn, given his higher inertia. 

The chase on foot would not go on for too much longer, as the target became clear for the mice - a Ducati Panigale parked inside a small sidewalk lot. Hazama drops two round explosives onto the ground, hoping they would delay the trio who have been following, but Maehara and Okano won’t fall for it, punting them both high into the air and out of their way. The sports motorcycle would serve Muramatsu (and presumably Yoshida, who would be the most versed among them to ride it) well in escaping, but only with the proper headstart, of which seems impossible to achieve.

Until a new, unseen player enters the game. Itona, of course.

The gap between the cats and mice is immediately filled by a stationary trashmaster suddenly picking up speed and drifting almost impossibly to block the entire street, embedding itself into a building wall it was moving towards.

“Holy shit!” Maehara yelled. He had also noticed the tools of the trade responsible for the scheme - a remote node lodged on the engine, and a Pivoting Wire Wrest connecting the undercarriage with the aforementioned wall. 

Terasaka knew he had to think fast, stopping himself from colliding with the huge garbage compactor. Knowing exactly what his old gang planned to do next, he noticed something across the street that would be a very fitting, if not optimal, counter. And so he changed trajectories and moved towards it.

Meanwhile, his colleagues opted to climb over the tall vehicle (Okano went with a sheer climb whereas Maehara decided to skip a bit of the lower level with a walljump). They both get to the roof before noticing that Yoshida and Muramatsu have made it to their getaway and are taking off, while Hazama runs off the other way.

“Damn it.” Okano kicks the ball of her left foot into the metal beneath her, realizing that their part of the chase is over. But then she and Maehara hear a revving up, and look back.

Terasaka, having seized a Yamaha 500cc scrambler, performed a quick burnout to turn the vehicle around and raced back the way they came, seeking an alternate route that would help him catch up to the fleeing former gang members. 


	12. Burn-Out Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mareseilles well and truly became the new playground for Teams Kazuhiko and Kazuchika in such a short time, and they're playing for keeps. What's on the line? The Courier's Bag that will determine their next destination and ensure their advancement in the FATE Race. Unfortunately, Kazuchika already got his hands on it... Can Kazuhiko get it back? And better yet, put a stop to his older half-brother here and now?

The chase was still on for many on both sides, with Terasaka having relocated Muramatsu and Yoshida while driving around the perimeter. For their part, the duo had noticed their former leader on his own set of wheels and continued blitzing the other way, prompting the latter to rev up to the next gear. 

On the Western flank of Marseille, Karma, Fuwa, Sugino, and Yukimura had triangulated the signal that was controlling an aerial drone that allowed an extra pair of eyes to look over the city for Team Kazuchika. Unsurprisingly, the one with the remote turned out to be Itona, who high-tailed it the second he saw the waves of muted footsteps.

The whitehead’s path takes the Team Kazuhiko members through a public park lush with shrubs and trees of various sizes before he vaults over a railing that would lead to the four-lane roads that run through it. When the four caught up, Itona had disappeared amidst the slow-moving traffic. 

_Damn it. Trying to slip us up._ Sugino cursed.

 _Tread carefully, then. He wouldn’t dare try windowed cars so most of these cars are out. Then realize they can only be invisible to us with lead sheets inside the chassis._ Fuwa analyzed the lines of automobiles.

 _Which in this spread would leave those two delivery trucks going opposite ways..._ Yukimura gestured to them as they inched further on their respective paths.

 _Or that van with replaced sections._ Karma pointed out. _The driver is the only one of our choices with his face free. Bet Kazuchika really wants to mix it up with us using a little reverse psychology. Come on._ The redhead nodded to his group as they all dropped onto the asphalt. 

The broken symphony of car horns as the opposing team weaved through the gaps raised Itona’s heart rate as he sat inside the moving van’s storage area, with his right hand pulling out yet another electronic and pressing one of its buttons with his thumb like a joystick.

There was nothing more that he could do, however, as the team was just one more sedan’s stretch away from the target. Sugino and Karma were the first to reach it, and the former prepared a mute charge to bust open the back doors. But just as the Pro Pitcher was going to place it at the center, something else hit the vehicle’s paint.

A modified .338 LM sniper rifle round, to be exact, which had the whole team stop dead in their tracks. Sugino and Karma, using their tactical lenses, both see the high-temperature trail that the ballistic left behind and trace it back towards the way it came. Naturally, Chiba was on the other side (having answered a pager call), though the others couldn’t quite discern his true location from the highrise.

Sugino and Karma glanced at each other for a second, before the latter then let something slither down his sleeve and into his hand. He chucked it over the van and then bolted with the rest of his crew. Chiba did not risk anything when it came to Itona, as he sacrificed a surefire incapacitation shot to snipe out whatever Karma threw into the air. Hindsight through his scope reveals it to be just a can of hairspray with Maehara’s grinning face emblazoned on its sticker.

Chiba scoffed at being played a fool, until his pager then alerted him to a new distress call. Recognizing the number on its display, he rises up, taking his Scorpio sniper rifle with him, and proceeds to the unidentified next spot to assist his caller.

Meanwhile, Terasaka persisted in his two-wheeled pursuit of his former underlings. 

Muramatsu pulled out a wire-wrest and turned back towards his former gangleader, timing the shooting out of the titanium hooks when they were in between a parked minivan across from a red-brick wall. Terasaka knew exactly what was coming and sought an alternate trajectory that didn’t (overly) terrorize the walking pedestrians. Unsurprisingly, the best route was going towards the sidewalk that was close to where the vehicle was. But with a group of schoolchildren nearly converging at the vertex at this point, The Wrestling Politician realizes his current angle of re-entry into the streets post-detour would have to be tighter than his Japanese import can provide. So he took it out of its hands and... Kicked the wall he was heading towards!

The gambit worked, and Terasaka hardly lost speed because of it, much to the ire of Muramatsu and Yoshida. The latter thinks they’ll have to be a little more... Natural, so to speak, in order to shake him. So it’s time to drive against the traffic coming from the other side!

Terasaka indeed lifted his head a bit upon seeing Yoshida suddenly dart across the center lawn and into the opposite lane. Reading his weaving through the rapidly-approaching congestion, Terasaka sees no viable outcome for him if he replicated such behavior, so he kept up on his own side of the road. It didn’t take long for things to change, however, as Muramatsu formed a surfing cable out of another Wire Wrest, as Yoshida performed a drift so tight, the left side of the chassis skated on the ground, while he himself starfished and laid back so that his limbs weren’t in between metal and road. Muramatsu skated along the ground with his greaves, and when the U-turn was nearly completed, he leaped up onto the far wall, giving it three steps before jumping back off and using the pullback mechanic of the line launcher to send him back on the sissy spot of the sports bike.

Terasaka had to act fast to stay on target, and so decided to bring the Yamaha into wheelie position and veered opposite the turn Yoshida made. The wheel at a whopping 16,000 RPMs made a huge white haze while tire-spinning on the asphalt, but the pivot made its prepared acceleration worth it, as its rider lost little speed upon landing back into regular driving.

Yoshida and Murmatsu again show some surprise beyond their helmets that Terasaka is still coming for them. They then decided if the latter wanted to take the lead so bad, why not give it to him, and Yoshida abruptly performed a stoppie to drastically lose speed. Terasaka wouldn’t react quickly enough for the sudden deceleration as he zoomed past them and about to hit a Ferrari. He avoided this by again lifting the motorcycle with all of his might.

The result was that the sporty two-wheeler was hoisted off the ground up to six feet, and rode along the roughly four-foot-tall Italian luxury import. While drowning out the driver’s understandably angry claims as he stopped right in front of his car, Terasaka sees Yoshida blast past him again, and resumes the chase. 

In the meantime, Okuda and Takebayashi have become incognito once more as the rest of Team Kazuhiko have forgoed tracking them down in favor of reclaiming the courier’s bag. As they persisted walking their way forward, phones vibrated in their pockets. Answering them revealed an anonymous text message:

“Package nearing extraction point. Assist with evacuation.”

The bespectacled duo looked at each other with full comprehension of Kazuchika’s order, and continued onwards. Reaching the next intersection, they notice Nakamura on the other side of an open window on the second floor watching over the van that contained Itona turning onto the scene. The blonde had undoubtedly been told to keep a prudent eye for the vehicle in question after Karma and company were scared off from it by Chiba.

Knowing Itona will be forever pinned down if nobody intervenes, they prepare to disrupt Nakamura’s surveillance with a lob of a chlorine smoke grenade into the building. With the plugged flask in hand, all it took was a little more inconspicuous strolling into position for the toss. But a little more was just too much.

Okuda and Takebayashi both noticed a new sound that grew louder with each passing instant. They looked down when it was clear it would pass by them and showed itself - a spherical flashbang! Both attempted to cover up their eyes as quick as they could, but that meant they couldn’t see the new threat coming.

That being the re-debuting Karma and Fuwa. The latter quickly snatched the flask from out of the man’s hand so that Karma was free to deliver a heavy swinging elbow to his back. The redhead also shoved Okuda aside and into Fuwa’s arms, where the Manga Editor promptly twisted the Chemist around so that she was tackled back-first into a store’s glass window. A Thai knee to the midriff in the compromised position forced compliance while applying downward pressure on the back of the head kept the other girl disbalanced.

Karma repeatedly forced Takebayashi to turn around himself using joint manipulation so that he could scour each and every one of the latter pockets in the span of a dozen seconds. Once he had gotten what he was looking for (namely, a phone Kato could probably crack, more spare chemicals, and a loaded KRISS pistol), Karma gave him an arm-twist setup into back kick into Takebayashi’s torso, before tucking his shoulder deep into the latter’s armpit. He then turned back towards the ladies. Fuwa had held Okuda in place but nodded to Karma once they saw each other in the eyes and spun out of the way.

What immediately followed was Karma’s massive hip toss that flipped the other man into the recovering Okuda, and the cumulative force and weight caused them to crash through the large store window, shattering it completely. An automatic alarm due to the fragmentation followed, causing Karma and Fuwa to run off. 

It took a hot minute for the glasses duo to rise up, but by that point a patrolling Marseille PD vehicle responding to the distress signal had already arrived on scene.

“<Police! Hands on your head!>” One of the boys in blue and black ordered in French, aggressively training his Beretta 93FS on them.

Okuda and Takebayashi did not have a clean exit for this situation against four armed folk and without their own paraphernalia, so they capitulated to the authorities’ commands, getting cuffed and put in the back of the nearest cruiser. 

Returning to the two-wheeled hunt, Terasaka continued to follow Yoshida and Muramatsu down more roads, the latest of which was bringing them towards the roundabout that surrounded the Statue of David.

“Chiba, you better be in position!” Yoshida yelled into his helmet’s comms system.

“I am. Locked and loaded too.” The sniper acknowledged, looking down his Scorpio’s dual lenses from roughly one and a half kilometers away.

“Alright- Remember! Shoot at Terasaka’s bike, not him, and send him veering into the open truck of feathered pillows!” Muramatsu reminded, alluding to an open delivery truck that, true to description, was filled to the brim with comfy landing material (Lord knows where they got that from, though given that a Kato was on their logistics team, it doesn’t sound quite as far-fetched as it may seem).

“Don’t lecture me, I know what I’m doing.” Deadeye snarked back, adjusting the dials on his scope with anticipation of his target’s arrival.

Seconds later, the duo had arrived at the rotary and had successfully lured Terasaka in. Chiba tracks him for at most three seconds, waiting for the former Gangleader to be fully in the swing of the turn before pulling the trigger. And indeed, a bullet flew. 

It flew right above him. 

Chiba flinched immediately after a ballistic shatters the above window, with sharp shards landing all over his prone form. He swiftly rolls away from the edge of the building, sniper rifle in hand, but stays low to prevent the counter-sniper from taking another shot. _Ah, my better half..._ He quickly realized.

The Kinetic Eye belonging to Hayami had tracked him down from a four-story hotel roof, having discerned the previous camping points Chiba had used to help her predict the one he would be using next (the schematics that were drawn on the small notebook situated next to her reveals that she was only two curtain windows off, which her wider lenses on a suppressed McMillan TAC-338 allowed her to easily compensate). 

_No getting back into position now. And if she caught me in this spot, she could easily find me again on another._ Chiba gritted his teeth as he crawled out of the room and reactivated comms. “Muramatsu, the wife’s found me. I couldn’t take my shot on Terasaka.”

“You’re lucky that’s a fucking good reason you didn’t do anything!” Yoshida angrily responded, long having left the circular intersection and driving northward, with Terasaka none the wiser to the gambit that never was to be. 

Briefly returning to the situation near the vehicle housing Itona, Karma and Fuwa regroup with Sugino and Yukimura, who all watch as the police cruisers leave the scene, Okuda and Takebayashi in safe custody.

 _Toledo; have you all been able to give a shot at letting the local police take the team away?_ The redhead spoke into his communications earpiece.

 _An opportunity hasn’t risen for many of us, I’m afraid._ Nagisa collectively responded, while walking along a sidewalk heading East with Nakamura and rendezvousing with Okano and Maehara in the meantime. 

_Gotcha. We’ve secured two; we’re about to make it three. Is that right, Songbird?_ Karma gave another callsign.

 _Yep. Itona has not moved from the vehicle at all._ Nakamura identified herself, leaving the window and making for the stairs.

 _Very nice. And Chiba?_ Karma wondered.

 _Chiba will no longer be an issue with defending the truck._ Hayami answered, continuing to keep a close eye on the skyscraper she found the other marksman in. 

_Even nicer._ Karma cut comms and glanced at his three immediate allies. _Let’s take it down now._ He gestured to them as they all moved forward. 

_Hold that order, Scavenger._ Nakamura requested him to wait, as she then looked at her tactical lenses and noticed an abnormal loading time of the nearby buildings’ schematics in preparation for the takedown. _Something’s not right; download speeds are seriously down for our suits’ OSINT networks._ She explained.

 _Somebody nearby watching a truckload of Eroge?_ Fuwa suggested.

 _More like fifty viewers by these numbers._ The blonde responded, before opening her flip-phone. _Ritsu, what is this?_ She asked.

 _One second._ The pink-haired A.I. complied. _Someone is uploading files of incrementally larger terabyte sizes to the private data servers in this region._

 _Oh shit. Not only is that slowing everything down digitally around here, but if it overflows those servers, it’s going to trigger a purge that completely wipes all crucial info for law firms, nearby medical records, contractor payrolls, consumer DBs - the whole shebang._ Karma realized the severity of the situation.

 _Do we get a prize for guessing Itona’s doing that on his own InReTs machine?_ Sugino dryly quipped while predicting how the situation was unfolding. 

_If I can get something right about this too, it’s not going to matter if we stop Itona now; We have to assign some new server space to wherever the files are being transferred to._ Fuwa made the new objective clear.

 _You heard her, Nakamura. Get Ritsu up there so she can map the private servers’ topology. We’ll get to the other cell towers she calls out to reroute the server._ Karma ordered.

 _There’s going to be way more than we can collect, even if you all take one each._ Nakamura raced to the top.

The four hesitated with anxious hearts.

 _We have to let Team Kazuchika go free to deal with this..._ Fuwa asserted.

 _What’s more important right now is this._ Karma gulped, before going to his communications system again, pressing on the node to bring up new channels. _Everyone, forget about our former colleagues. We have another prevailing circumstance that requires our attention._ He caught all of their attention. Except for Terasaka and Kato, who were shown to have gone into comm silence.

After a brief summary, the group forgoed their current objectives and agreed to reach the rooftops that they must, creating a circular array of dishes as designed by Naoko, Karma, and Ritsu, that would direct the latest data traffic from the nearly-filled private server to another encrypted server that wasn’t being used due to the company that had allocated space there swiftly folding a long time ago (the reason? They had hoped to revolutionize energy in Marseille as a wind farm... In a place that had no good spots left for new real estate).

 _We’ve got the towers aligned. Ritsu, how much longer before you break and re-secure the encryption reliably?_ Yukimura asked, as she manned one of the aforementioned towers.

 _Almost there. Remember, when I say so to everyone, press the 5 key on the junction panel to lock in the transfer._ She responded.

 _We’re at the ready, Ritsu. On your mark._ Yada confirmed at another tower favoring the Porte arch. The others were also within arm’s reach of their own cell towers.

Meanwhile, Ritsu continued to race through the bridges between the private server and the access points, until at long last, the final part was built and she could reach the unused server. She raced back to her entry point at innumerable gigabits per second to give the okay. “Now!” She yelled into everyone’s comms.

Everyone complied.

Seconds later, Nakamura took another look at the private server’s remaining capacity, finding it to have stagnated with just 50.4 gigabytes remaining. “Mission successful, everyone.” She breathed a sigh of relief.

Nagisa, like the others, expressed a bit of pleasant swagger at their fruitful efforts, though he gave a longing stare at the Old Port, where the chase had begun. _May Marseille ever be so quietly grateful..._ He snarked.

Terasaka hadn’t yet gotten the memo, naturally, and was keeping pace with his former gang members. And unknowingly for him, he wasn’t on his own anymore.

A Jaguar F-Type SVR debuts on scene with a massive right drift just after Terasaka passes by the intersection, revving up a bit to drive level with the confused Wrestling Politician.

“Good work remembering to turn your AtTac beacon on.” Kato greeted, rolling down the window to identify himself.

“Shut up!” Terasaka yelled through his helmet, before returning his attention to the road before him. Good timing too, for the next major gambit concocted by the two fleeing was using another Wire Wrest to pull a long water truck to cover both sides of the road. Terasaka was ready to flank the obstruction as he had done before, until Yoshida tossed two Wire Wrests of his own that caused the parallel-parked cars next to it to diagonally collide with their close walls. “Fuck, what now?” He cursed.

“Drive right through it!” Kato answered, not discouraged by the updated situation.

“Excuse me?” The biker requested confirmation.

“Just as I said!” Kato implicitly repeated, as he then pressed on a button on his Jaguar’s steering wheel. Suddenly, something flew out of the left border of the sports car’s windshield. It spun like a chain shot and glowed blue upon being propelled. That left no doubt to what the projectile was - a high-frequency cutting thread. Reaching the tanker first, it had gone completely vertical and... Sliced right through the middle! With the pulled half still moving, an opening was produced, expelling hundreds of gallons of water onto the sidewalk. “Oh, it’s not empty.” His confidence wavered for a moment.

“‘Oh, it’s not empty?’ That’s what’s weird?!” Terasaka spat back at him.

“Hop on!” He ordered the Politician, ignoring his queries. Terasaka complied, ditching his scrambler and laying flat on the Jaguar’s top. The motorbike rode-off path and was ultimately brought to a stop hitting a light pole. The duo proceeded through the wet passage (thanks to the souped-up coupe also possessing a triangular grille attachment to pierce through the temporary sea) to continue further. 

After the water hazard subsides, Terasaka slithers into the shotgun seat, taking off his motorcycle helmet in the process. “You know, it’s on me just as much as you, but how do we plan on making them stop?” He interrogated.

“They’ll stop themselves.” Kato checked his watch. “Kazuchika is already planning the escape for his team, since he’s so sure he’ll be keeping the courier’s bag. Muramatsu and Yoshida cannot shake us, so they’ll be opting instead for a getaway quicker than we can react. They’ll still have to slow down to do it, though, and that’s where we strike.” He elaborated.

Clearly running out of tricks, Yoshida handed a small, ominous bag to Muramatsu, who untied its top and dropped its many contents onto the ground. The luster of them helped their determined pursuers see that it was sharp caltrops.

“Tire-piercers. They’re scooping from the bottom of the barrel.” Kato smirked. “Too bad these tires are airless.” He concluded; running through them confirmed this, for as soon as the rubber got punctured, the sides popped out and revealed its fluted nature.

Terasaka had to stick his upper body out the window to take a look at it. He immediately paid for it, as the sound of metal hitting asphalt thousands of times per second was still harmful. “Ugh, just had to check.” He spoke with self-deprecation.

“Indeed; roll it back up, will you?” Kato insisted, to which his passenger complied.

With no more tricks under their sleeves and no time to divert remaining, Muramatsu and Yoshida, somewhat foolishly, proceeded with their path, and headed into a car-parking garage. Kato and Terasaka follow them up to two floors. A third was in order, but...

“Shit, is that mud?” Terasaka noticed a huge covering of brown sludge all over the asphalt spiraling upwards.

“A lot of it. And it’s filling up the openings of my airless tires.” The driver lamented.

“That must explain why the bike they were on had all-terrain groove tires. I only figured they were going to put us through some sick jumps across the city.” The gangleader reminisced.

“Once more, Kazuchika is one-upping me. Suppose now’s time to divert course, and hope we can deal with whatever he’s got on the other side.” Kazuhiko altered course, moving to the opposite end of the parking garage and going up that way.

“Would wire charges on both sides of the passage be out of the question?” Terasaka worriedly questioned just before they reached the other spiral.

“Now that would be truly unexpected from someone who knows all about me, isn’t it? Too unexpected. Not to mention too clean.” Kato cryptically answered back.

No explosives were triggered as they completed the trip up. Given the amount of time needed to get up there, Muramatsu and Yoshida were long gone. But the floor was not without something of interest.

“Hey, stop here.” Terasaka ordered, to which Kato agreed to. With a wince of the eyes for a closer look, he noticed something on the ground. “The courier’s bag!”

“Terasaka, they must be baiting us.” Kato checked the car’s digital clock. “Even if they already got the images they wanted like before, why wouldn’t they just destroy the bag or toss it over the side when they were done?” He asked.

“It could be a pity system, like one I wish _Destiny\Ultimate Company_ gave us.” Terasaka defended his stance, before stepping out of the vehicle.

“Now- Wait- Hey!” Kato was about ready to respond back, but his passenger’s sudden exit caused him to stammer and get out himself.

“Come to papa.” The Wrestling Politician stepped forth, making just one stop within seven and a half meters to ensure there was nothing behind the obvious corner that the bag had passed, or anything directly above it to do him in. When nothing harmful revealed itself, he pushed forward to claim it.

Kazuhiko saw something, however. “Terasaka, stop!”

But the former Gangleader did not comply fast enough, for as he came within three meters from the fallen courier’s bag, lights blared up from his right flank. 

Upon turning to face the luminescence, Terasaka realized its source to be a Renault Trafic van, which hit wheelspin levels of RPMs before blasting full speed ahead. He tried to dash ahead as quick as he could, but his leading right foot could not move! “What the fuck-?!”

“Electromagnets underneath the floor bed locking your TechniCot socks in place!” Kato yelled out, in tandem with his immediate sprint forward. A powerful shoulder check pushed Terasaka out of the trap (meanwhile Kato’s already-transformed KAM AtTac greaves with electrical shielding coats prevented getting similarly stuck). Now there was just the tiny matter of the rapidly-approaching van.

A well-timed and executed leap was the answer, as the Chairman hopped with both legs tucked deep and pivoted so that his back faced the windshield. His frame broke right through the front glass and the further passing of the vehicle made it so that he landed squarely in the occupied driver’s seat - therefore, the driver’s lap (with his own legs resting on the dashboard).

After whipping forward from the van smashing into the wall (the airbags surprisingly didn’t activate; it was likely Kazuchika jammed them prior to the premeditated collision), the Chairman immediately back-headbutted the driver’s chin. He followed it up with a right back elbow, but Kazuchika guarded it with raised arm to the temple. He reprised it with an acutely-angled left hook to Kato’s ribcage, which partially meets the mark, as Kato covered up after his own attack failed. 

Kazuhiko tilted to his right so his left hand could go over the same shoulder and press on the pressure point on Kazuchika’s neck. The latter saw it coming and got his left hand vertical and in front of his throat to defend. This was only the transitory strike, though as Kato then bobbed the other way which would deliver the momentum for his right backfist to the cheekbone. Unfortunately, that too was blocked with a perfectly-placed forearm. 

Kazuchika kept the arm outstretched while slinging his left around Kazuhiko’s throat, allowing his head to peek in between the span. This was so that when he pulled it further right, his younger half-brother would be clocked fully by a short-armed side headbutt. Kato didn’t let the pain get to him, though, now able to deliver the back elbow he was looking for, this time to the left ribcage, which also broke the headhold. Kato completed his liberation with an arm-spin and pull out, using the edge of his wrist to slip through the small space between the gripping thumb and index finger.

Now free, Kazuhiko bridged up and delivered a back kick to Kazuchika’s stomach, which was impossible to defend or evade given the angle. Knowing he would try to pull him back down, the Chairman didn’t give him the chance and dropped back down and snapmared the Thai’s forehead into his right knee, stunning him again. Kato fully rose out of this unique battle situation, climbing back onto the hood with one of Kazuchika’s wrists and attempting to get him out of there too. But the latter had other ideas, throwing him back into the front seats, though giving him the pleasure of his own in the form of the passenger side. 

Given the angle of entry, however, Kato wasn’t actually sitting so much as he was lying sideways; a serious disadvantage for defense, as he soon realized with Kazichika’s limitless supply of scraping hammer fists, forward 12-6 elbows, and trapping punches. Kazuhiko couldn’t legitimately get back into proper stance without sacrificing some much needed blocking, so he utilized the bottom bar underneath the chair to quickly shift behind Kazuchika, briefly eliminating his parallel striking angle.

By the time The Thai got back into an equal positioning, The CEO sat upright again and could conduct a proper brawl. It began with the latter’s forward back elbow to the temple, which was guarded by a Philly Shell shoulder deflection. The high block would in turn mask Kazuchika’s opposite-hand straight towards his younger half-brother’s temple. Kazuhiko bobbed away just enough, and returned with a short-range close uppercut. In response, Kazuchika used a near, open palm to push the upwards strike away from his face entirely. 

Kazuchika attempted a counter with a right backfist that would compress Kazuhiko’s head into the chair support, had it not been for a well-timed catch of the wrist with the latter’s far hand. Kazuhiko immediately followed it up with a low left side kick, which hit flush with his older half-brother’s right leg, just below the knee. Kazuchika grunted briefly to the sudden, unanticipated attack, which had also pushed his upper body towards Kazuhiko only slightly, but enough - enough so that the younger’s forward elbow uppercut skirted along the older’s cheekbone (only missing fully because of a bob-away at the nick of time). Kazuhiko opened up the upper body again with what appeared to be a knee-lift to the torso, which Kazuchika covered up for. But it turns out that was a feint and Kazuhiko then dropped it for the instep stomp. Kazuchika made his irk audible once more and bent forward, in time for an overhead on the nape that reminded him to return upright immediately. 

A new clarity could be glimpsed in Kazuchika’s eyes as he feigned a strong punch at the upper body with a couple of quick side-hammer fists and leading jabs. Just when it looked like the setup was completed as the elder went downstairs and tiger-clawed across the younger’s lower torso, hoping to get a prong on the close ribcage. Kazuhiko managed to get his far hand into the scoop of the attack to prevent it from getting that far, but the pulling momentum brought him closer towards Kazuchika, motivating him to bob back further to avoid the power attack. He was right about the reprisal, but just not what it was going to be, which cost him as Kazuchika followed with the same far-handed cross that he used before; this time, a leopard punch, with just enough range to peck the Chairman just short of the eye.

While Kazuhiko’s eye wasn’t in any long-term danger, it seriously put him at a disadvantage being forced to keep it closed and pretty much not seeing anything coming from Kazuchika’s leading hand unless he turned more toward his elder half-brother. The latter smelled blood and attempted a forward overhand. Kato caught it with his far hand mere millimeters before his crown. Kazuhiko kept it raised while putting his left hand up, looking like he was going to give a jab to the ribcage. Kazuchika saw this and got his far hand to open right in front to defend against that. Unfortunately for him, he assumed wrong, as that hand was lifted just so that it could drag that blocking one down.

Kazuhiko’s head bows and is shoved top-first into Kazuchika’s armpit area. The attack makes Kazuchika wince and audibly grunt, as he quickly realizes that the pain travels through the directly-impacted muscles into the rest of his shoulder, as well as temporarily narrowing the arteries leading to the arm, making it too numb to perform any meaningful counterattack. Kazuhiko knew this and pounced, delivering hammerfists, elbow uppercuts and overheads and forcing his older half-brother to cover up. 

Kazuchika refused to stay on the defensive for too long, delivering another Tiger Claw, but this time latching onto the far side of his younger half-brother’s head, where pulling down caused three superficial (but bloody) gashes to trail his neckline. This stuns Kato enough for the LWA captain to make space again. 

Kazuhiko sees a backfist coming his way again and blocks it with two raised forearms pointed up. It works, but Kazuchika counted on that, and immediately bent his elbow to pivot the forearm into the inside of the guard and deliver a jab to Kazuhiko’s cheek. Following it up, Kazuchika brings his arm down to have Kato bend forward, leading him into his lift-up snap kick to the forehead, which naturally pushes him back onto the chair’s support. 

The younger Kato seeks to recoup his losses with a shoulder-masked straight, but the older Kato saw that coming too and turned... Away from his opponent? With that, the crown of his head was facing Kazuhiko, and a whip-back delivered the unorthodox headbutt onto Kazuhiko’s mouth. Once more, Kato was pushed away by this.

Kazuchika made sure to capitalize on this new distance by shifting weight to make room for his right leg and giving a side kick to Kazuhiko’s torso, smashing him into the passenger door. Kato coughed for a moment and then threw it up on the dashboard and brought a hammerfist on the sideways knee, giving some more stinging pain as Kazuchika retracted it. Kato then ducked underneath Kazuchika’s next swinging backfist and postured up instantly, causing the arm to get trapped behind Kato’s back. 

The Chairman refused to let it go unpunished, giving it a back elbow swing to the tricep, and then to the LWA captain’s face when he got close. Kazuchika did manage to counter this by slithering it upwards until it could hook around his younger half-brother’s head for the side headlock. Several keyhole punches followed on the top of Kazuhiko’s head, which the latter had no technical defense for. So he again resorted to the functions of the car - namely, by tearing off the centerpiece of the steering wheel and forcibly producing the oppressive airbag that should’ve come out after the crash. 

The impact of the durable, inflated cloth broke Kazuchika’s concentration and grasp, allowing Kato to get out and then wrap Kazuchika’s head around the white material, disorienting him to any fists and elbows coming towards it. Kazuchika allowed about six before his left hand could feel the metal of the driver’s seat belt and whipped it towards his foe, thrusting it into Kato’s cheek. The tables turned and Kazuchika proceeded to wrap the coarse strap around Kato’s neck to choke him out. Kato gagged twice before setting up an opportunity by stomping on Kazuchika’s toes once more, and then sought his older half-brother’s gripping fingers, pulling the pinkie back towards the wrist to elicit a scream from the latter and easing the compression on his throat. Kato pressed the “Unlock All Doors” button on his side of the car and front-kicked Kazuchika, using the reaction force to propel himself out of the vehicle.

After a bit of a struggle to get up, Kazuhiko circles around the vehicle to meet up with Kazuchika, who also stumbles out of the driver’s seat. Upon seeing each other, though, they immediately shake off all difficulties and raise their fists. 

“You son of a bitch, stepping on my foot twice in a battle.” Kazuchika cursed.

“Didn’t know you hated that. Good thing *I’m* not judging you for something I don’t know.” The Chairman insulted with a sizable inflection on a certain word. 

But then they notice their fellow allies/enemies to their side, who have been engaging in a unique battle of their own; Muramatsu and Yoshida on trick bicycles, smacking Terasaka around with the wheels and frame. They both briefly glanced at each other for a moment, realizing the collective strangeness of the scenario.

After the third slap across his face, Terasaka refused to take it any longer and when Muramatsu approaches again, he sidesteps it like a bullfighter, and clutches the metal bars putting it all together as it passes by. This slowed down the two-wheeler so quickly, Muramatsu flew off it into a rolling landing across the asphalt. In dealing with Yoshida, Terasaka tossed the bike at him, which knocked the Mechanic over, and in doing so ruined his bicycle routine.

“You about done? It’s time to go.” Kazuchika nodded towards his two fallen teammates. Both Muramatsu and Yoshida perked up upon hearing the team leader.

“Like that’s going to happen.” Kazuhiko scoffed at the claim.

“Oh, but it will.” The elder Kato corrected his sibling, as he then produced his own wrist-mounted interface and pressed on a section of it. The van that they were fighting in suddenly produced something from its trunk, which Kazuhiko turned back to realize was a massive parachute. Turning away from this dangerous foe was his mistake too, as Kazuchika was right on top of him as soon as he looked back. He got an arm up to defend against the flying 12-6 elbow smash, but couldn’t do anything about Kazuchika also lifting up his right leg, and cable-tying it to the matching arm when they got close enough. Now in a forced fisherman’s suplex position, Kazuchika tossed him into an approaching Terasaka, knocking them both over before calling on Muramatsu and Yoshida to come quickly.

Kazuhiko whipped out another one of his Microtech Troodon knives to cut the cable tie so that he could move his two trapped limbs, only to watch as the ones he and Terasaka had been chasing close the doors on the vehicle as it was pulled out of the garage. They both reach the edge that it left on to see the parachute having been skyhooked like a CIA extraction method that takes them out of the city with breakneck speed.

“Sucks how easy it is to pay for airspace these days.” Terasaka solemnly asserted, leaning on a cement pillar shoulder and temple-first out of disappointment from his failure. Kato was quick to join him in sulking at the missed objective.


	13. Little, But Very Red Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marseilles' time in the race has come and gone, and now it's on to the next leg in the Race of FATE... Once both teams slueth themselves to what that is. 
> 
> Along the way, further insight into the ambitions and feelings of both forces are to be picked apart by their contemporaries, making sure everything is put onto the table with the deadly game reaching yet another pivotal point.

Following Team Kazuchika’s (mostly) successful departure from Marseille, Team Kazuhiko knew they had no choice but to return to the Ultra Hercules to reach their next destination in the Race of FATE... Wherever that may be, for that matter, as none of them seemed to find out prior to Muramatsu and Yoshida stealing the courier’s bag. The feeling of despair cast a dark cloud on many of them when they witnessed Terasaka and Kazuhiko returning in the evening. Last of the pack, and empty-handed.

“Damn, you guys look like shit.” Nakamura asserted.

“Feel worse. They got away with the clues.” The Wrestling Politician muttered.

“So, the knapsack is all theirs...” Yukimura crossed her arms painfully.

“They’re in the lead now, then.” Mimura analyzed.

“This can’t be it. What can we do now?” Hayami stepped forth. There was a hint of desperation in her tone, which is quite uncharacteristic of her cold marksman persona.

“Nothing, for we’ve learned nothing, and the source for us to do so is gone.” Okajima shook his head, all but defeated.

Karma reflected on the mutual silence between them for the next few seconds, before something popped into his mind. He then glanced over at the nearby Naoko for a moment, and then spoke. “We have one possibility.” He noted, waiting for everyone to look over to him. “My crew facilitated the arrests of Okuda and Takebayashi by the local PD. Any remaining equipment, communications systems included, should be inside their lockup. Perhaps we could steal that, and listen in on the crew?” He suggested.

“How do we know Neito and Kazuchika hadn’t already remotely disabled their stuff?” Fuwa turned to him and questioned.

“Think about it; Kurahashi still on the field despite failing to invest in Neito’s plans a second time? Somebody in there - it could be Neito, Kazuchika, or another - is giving our friends a second chance. Okuda and Takebayashi should be safe and the bad guys are probably going to find a way to squeeze out their continued assistance. In fact, they might even be planning on breaking them out.” The redhead reasoned.

“If that’s the case, then we should just wait right there for whatever crew is coming for them, take them out and interrogate them. We successfully pulled those two away from Neito’s grasp to the point that we can reach them; they cannot just go back to him.” Naoko stated.

“Won’t work; Neito may just bring down the axe on their loved ones if we stop them from being any help to the Lost-Wing Angels. We can convince them to convince Kazuchika their technology was destroyed so that the feds couldn’t access it - but they won’t jeopardize the lives they care about. Nor should they, for that matter.” Karma refused.

“Still, to let them walk back once it’s time...” Naoko, recognizing the validity of that counter, lamented and looked down.

“They will return to us, Naoko.” Yada comforted her, warmly compressing her shoulders. “As will the rest, when all’s said and done.” She tacked on.

“Indeed.” Kazuhiko seconded. “And we won’t have to associate with Okuda and Takebayashi at all. It seems as though you all forget that our tactical lenses have some recording faculties for whatever we see on the field.”

“Sure enough. But how are a bunch of still-frames going to help us get a better idea of what’s next for us in this race?” Kimura argued back.

“Who told you that it wouldn’t? Not me.” Kato smirked, before leading the way to getting into the military aircraft. Everyone else looked to each other for an instant before following him with newfound curiosity.

Meanwhile back in the heart of Marseille, the aforementioned Okuda and Takebayashi were dejectedly lounging on the benches of their steel-barred cell. The man notices his cohort’s increased ventilation and comes close to help calm her down. “It’ll be okay, Okuda. Lower that BP.” He reassured her.

“You cannot be certain of that.” The woman spoke back, looking him in the eyes. “Neito may have just severed ties with us, and executed our folks. Alternatively, he may reel us back in and lie about their fates as we proceed with the race on Kazuhika’s side. The possibilities render me beyond extremely queasy, and headways into nauseatingly despondent.” She spoke of her theorized scenarios.

“Yeah...” Takebayashi fixed the positioning of his glasses. “That’s entirely possible...” He looked away, unsure how he might raise Okuda’s spirits at this point.

He didn’t have to though, for a police officer approached their cell and unlocked the cage door. “Manami Okuda, Ku-Kotaro Take...Bayashi.” He identified them as read on his clipboard before looking up at them. He then set down two filled evidence boxes right in front of them. “You’re free to go.” He waved towards the exit.

The two bespectacled assassins looked at each other in confusion before leaving the cell, reclaiming all of their confiscated possessions, and stepping outside of the police station.

“Okuda. Takebayashi.” A burly man in a full black suit greets them from the side upon noticing their leave of the building. He then points towards a Chevy Tahoe. Knowing that they cannot refuse, they get in the backseat and the vehicle takes off.

Roughly ten minutes later, they have reached the outskirts of the port city, into a gated private airfield with many Skytrain propeller airliners lining the strip. The first to greet them as they got out of the SUV was, unsurprisingly, Kazuchika.

“I had reminded you two, just like all of your friends, that you need to be incredibly careful. There’s absolutely no time in this race to waste for performing these needless detours. Don’t think I’m going to do this again.” The older Kato growled, as he then nodded towards a large hangar next to the airstrip, prompting them to head towards it.

“Then why did you bother with it this time?” Takebayashi bounced back, as he and Okuda followed closely behind.

“I don’t have to explain everything to you. Besides, you guys are smart - figure it out.” Kazuchika refused to answer properly.

“You should know, you’re giving voices to the cogitations inside Kazuhiko’s head by claiming that.” Okuda closed her eyes as she trailed.

That statement stopped Kazuchika in his tracks. “What did you just say?”

“She said you’re acting just like your younger brother. You know - the one that you hate so much? Who you refuse to say is a lot like you?” Takebayashi clarified.

Kazuchika sighed. “You really expect me to fall for petty tricks like that?”

“It would make you much different from your calmer sibling.” Takebayashi smirked.

“Don’t give me that shit, Kotaro. After all I did for Kurahashi? Did I have to do that? Did I really?” The LWA Captain countered.

“Whatever could be impeding you from doing what you’ve done before?” Okuda held out open hands of wonder.

Kazuchika stared a hole through her before responding. “Someone who doesn’t even know that you two managed to get your asses caught by some doughnut-engorging pension hunters.” He explained.

That exposition caused both of the assassins to widen their eyes.

“He has enough on his plate. He doesn’t need to be dragged down by perceived ‘incompetence’ and ‘insubordination.’” Kazuchika held out a menacing finger to the both of them. “Neither do I, let me tell you! But I am doing it because I know what you’re all capable of.” He continued leading the way to the large vehicle depot. “And Kazuhiko would certainly be sick to his stomach if I can keep you all together throughout this race against him.” He added on.

Okuda and Takebayashi looked to each other for a moment with pleasant surprise, if not outright appreciation. They silently decide to keep their mouths shut for the remainder of the walk, which wasn’t more than another two minutes. 

“Ah, they’re back.” Chiba, seated atop an empty fuel barrel with another rifle in his arms, observed. It prompted the rest to perk up and take notice as well.

“Indeed they are. Shower them with any further greetings, and then let’s transition with some clue-deciphering. Muramatsu, if you will.” Kazuchika, having relocated his smile, basked in the attention, and motioned over to a metal table at the center of the hangar.

The Chef took a deep breath and stepped up, placing the bag on the platform, while also taking out its contents.

“Now, what do we have here...” Kazuchika spun a pair of specs along his right index finger to whip both temples open and put it on. 

At seemingly the same time, the Ultra Hercules belonging to Kazuhiko had already taken off from its remote location, heading towards an unknown location.

“Alright, so we’re off. Off to where, though?” Okano wondered to Maehara. 

“What’re you asking me for?” Her husband inquired back.

“I felt as though your wise ass had figured it out too.” The Gymnast snarked.

“You can just ask him. He’s right there this time.” Terasaka noted, looking over to Kato typing on a hull-mounted terminal of the aircraft.

“Moving up in the emotional world. Shows serious growth.” Nakamura quipped.

“Maybe a clash with his brother got some insecurities over with.” Karma added on.

“I can hear you all.” The Chairman closed his eyes and asserted.

“That’s the point.” Kimura bounced back.

“Of course.” Kazuhiko shut the keyboard and retracted the computer screen, then turned to them, checking his watch for a moment. “It always fascinates me how much you all go nuts longing for answers from me.” He tacked on.

“What can they say, Kato? You bring that out with everybody.” Naoko approached.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s right.” Kato crossed his arms and looked aside, before back at the others. “Everyone, listen close, because your lingering, immediate curiosities are about to be fulfilled!” He announced, restoring his spark of magnificence again.

The rest of the AssUniv Community perked up upon hearing and listening to his interjection. Some, like Nagisa and Yukimura, came closer to ensure they’d hear the next sentence or two coherently.

“But before I bestow the mind-boggling answer upon all of you, let me begin by looking over the facts!” He stated, while slamming down his VITaL onto the hangar floor and producing a humongous aerial, blue holographic interface. “Good thing all of you paid so much attention to such a seemingly worthless bag. Great angles of the artifact as far as the eye can see.” He began, flicking the many recordings aside so that they all scattered in front of the rest of the team.

“What’s that mean? You can create a perfect 3D replica with them?” Okajima suggested.

“You said that - not me.” Kazuhiko shook his head. 

The scene smoothly transitioned back to Kazuchika, standing before his own team.

“Personally, this sign intrigues me.” The LWA Captain opined, tapping it on his forehead several times. “It’s so... Typical. In meaning, in presentation, and in use. And yes, it serves an obviously stark purpose. But we’ll get to that.” He set it down on the table.

“This sign, which we all got to see when it was pulled out of the courier’s bag. Aside from the illustration, it’s most likely not different than any other metal plaques you’ll find across the block. And the street paint put on its borders certainly screams this message.” Kato also elaborated to his crew.

“Now for the notebook. You translate all of this to Japanese, English, Mandarin - anything - and even then it’s still jargon to everyone.” Kazuchika noted, flipping through the pages like an animation booklet.

“Sounds like something Kazuhiko’s father would do. And Kazuhiko himself.” Isogai crossed his arms and sighed.

Kazuchika looked up with a grin. “Very true.” He admitted, while shutting the book and setting it down right next to the courier’s bag. “And these are all that’s inside the bag.” The LWA Captain proceeded to chuckle while looking at them both.

Kazuhiko delivered a rather similar laugh as the answer still remained only in his head. He reveled in it even, gearing his hands together like a diabolical mastermind. “The message is an assassin, ladies and gentlemen. It stares us in the face, and yet it hides in plain sight super well.” He analogized the methods employed by the clues.

“How about you snuff it out for us, then?” Mimura voiced their collective impatience.

“Very well.” The CEO requested them all to settle down. “The point is...” He began.

“Those items inside...” Kazuchika continued.

“They all indicate...” Both Katos spoke in unison this time to their respective audiences, who await an answer with significant anticipation.

Both of them kept their teams exasperatedly anxious for another couple of seconds. Before, at long last...

“Singapore!/Nothing!” Kazuhiko and Kazuchika concluded.

Naturally, both teams remained bewildered at the answer.

“These items are a red herring; either infinitely interpretable meanings in symbolism?” He held up the bike-mounting sign. “Or so many words written in so many languages?” He then held up the notebook, open to reveal two of the pages. “You could probably get to the right answer with them, but there’s a much faster way!” He argued, before putting them both back down and seizing the bag. “The knapsack itself has all the answers we need!” He asserted.

“This sign - it could be outlawing pineapples. Or pineapple Mills bombs. Or... Spiky wheels. But anyone who’s been to Singapore sees that spiky black oval with a stick as a durian!” Kazuhiko confirmed to everyone.

“‘A durian?’” Sugino requested confirmation.

“You know, Sugino. The tree fruit that is supposedly native to Borneo and Sumatra. Sweet-tasting, but has a horrible scent that wards off most newcomers.” Karma explained.

“Ah, I remember having durians. Usually best for me when it was made into smoothies like they do in Vietnam.” Naoko reminisced.

“I find the aroma pretty resplendent honestly.” Kato too recollected, before refocusing by looking at his watch. “Anyways, there might be many places that don’t like durians for it. But only one has them outright outlawed.” He inferred.

“Public transportation in Singapore is actually pretty intimate. That smell would tick many off from that range.” Yukimura held her chin in thought, before noticing Nagisa among others turning to her with inquisitiveness. “Ah, one episode of  _ Dragonfly: Project F  _ has us journey to Singapore to sniff out a rogue nuclear scientist. A little segment had us make note of the huge ethnic differences and dealing with the relatively tighter compression of the urban setting, which our heroes’ fighting styles were not so well-suited for.” She explained.

“Right...” The Bluehead felt as though he regretted implicitly asking at all.

“Now, for the notebook, it is indeed true that the many languages represented on its pages was meant to tip us off, but as a trick question rather than a true riddle!” He stated. “We’re meant to think that we will have to explore all of Asia to find what we’re looking for next. But what if there was a place that all of Asia was indeed represented?” He inquired.

“Qita Kong?” Terasaka suggested.

“Didn’t exist in the 80s. Wouldn’t have been something that Kazuto could allude to.” Naoko turned that option down.

“Indeed. And with Bangkok and Hong Kong being less than ideal locations for the time period, we are left with only one other choice. One that already mixes up its sentences in regular conversation with all four of its official languages.” Kato asserted further.

“Hmm, when you put it that way...” Maehara put his right hand to his chin.

“We can’t really afford to aimlessly wander a city like last time, though. It allowed Team Kazuchika to swiftly catch up to us in the Race of FATE. Is there anything in there that can tell us where it would be best to look for the clue first?” Yukimura queried.

“Indeed there is. But not on these clues.” The Chairman noted, before going back to another set of image files. “On this.” He showed the bag again.

“This bag tells the whole story for us. Courier’s bag, which means it’s a posting agency that we’re going for. But as for where’s? We just need to look a little bit deeper into the fine lines of the artifact. Or, shall I say, the fine weaving?” Kazuchika suggested, while pulling out his smartphone and opening a magnifier application. “Kataoka, dear, tell me what you see.” He requested the Anchorwoman to analyze.

Kataoka approached and looked at his flatscreen. “A traditional, Oxford weave with perpendicular pairings.” She shrugged.

“Take an even closer look, Fem-Class Rep.” The LWA Captain proposed.

She looked at him judgingly before complying. By that point, she had noticed. “Some of the multi-colored fibers deviate beneath the decorative pattern. They point towards the other pockets, buttons, and straps.” She noticed.

“Yes... Because within the usual weaving, there is purpose. In the form of a knot. A water bowline II knot. This is because the courier anticipates heavily rainy situations and will not allow their trusty knapsack to shred so easily from any and all conditions. Hence a knot that can endure both pull and wetness. And Singapore’s, I’ll say, pretty wet.” The Field Captain explained.

“Indonesia and Malaysia are pretty wet countries too, Kazuchika.” Hara argued.

“Which is why the II matters.” Kazuchika pointed back. “A second loop around the hitch, that which the ingenious Singlish utilized for their still rustic postal system.” He stated. “And so, to Singapore we go.” He tossed the bag back, with it perfectly landing back on the metal table.

Team Kazuchika all looked between each other with careful consideration of the analysis just provided to them.

“It shall be enough. For now.” Karma nodded in agreement. “Hope we’re already at top speed towards the city-state.”

“We already are. I hope Kazuchika and Neito haven't already gotten all of this, though.” Kazuhiko seconded in his faiths.

Kazuchika in the meantime walked to a distant corner of the hangar, watching the arrangement of military transports that will be taking him and the defected team to their next destination, and making a call to Neito. While it rang, he made quick glances back to the team, who had for the most part not moved from their spots around the metal table.

“Kaz.” Neito, still making experimental moves on a mid-game Go board, answered.

“Singapore’s next.” Kazuchika asserted.

“Ah. I remember the place. Dad loved taking business trips there. Thus, so did I.” The LWA Harbinger’s head pitched up with interest. Though something immediately made him skeptical. “What took you so long to come to this conclusion? The fire died down hours ago.”

Kazuchika groaned, looking at all of the immaculate pieces of aircraft outside. “One of the planes had loose landing gear. The crew on the airstrip needed time to get it fixed.”

“Hmph. Fair enough, I suppose. It’s good that you make sure the equipment isn’t faulty; that’s intolerable for any mission.” Neito took a particular eye to one of his white pieces on the board, which stood mostly alone while almost surrounded by black stones.

“Thank you, sir.” Kazuchika bowed.

“But time is never always on our side, especially when we get ever so close to the goal. So the next time that happens, perhaps you consider leaving it behind, and bring the splinter cell that’s supposed to be on that vehicle using the remaining planes.” Neito propositioned, playing the next string of white so that it could capture the dark circle that took out the loner from earlier.

“What, like having them hang from a towing cable on one of the other propellers? All ten thousand kilometers?” Kazuchika scoffed and answered back.

“You are the younger, more imaginative leader in the LWA.” Neito implicitly agreed.

“I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you for the advice.” The LWA Captain continued laughing after comprehending the sentence fully.

“Was that all?” The Harbinger inquired.

“It was. I’ll speak more on touchdown.” The Captain bowed on the phone.

“Kazuchika, you ought to know...” Neito interrupted him before he hung up.

“Yeah?” Kazuchika’s grin faded for the moment.

“I’ve not asked for the details of what you’ve done, partially because you’ve been succeeding thus far. But mostly... Because no matter the circumstances, I am proud of you. You should know that, if you didn’t already.” Neito confessed. This actually took him away from the game he was implacably playing.

Kazuchika bit his lower lip with awkwardness. “Yeah. I get that. Thanks for the reminder. Bye.” He concluded, ending the call and putting his device back in his pocket. He stared into space with thought, then went back to the crew with his same showman’s smile. “We’re all rested up? It’s high time we’re on our way to the Little Red Dot that could.” He rallied them to get a move on. The last to leave from the hangar, he noticed more towing cables that would be used in case some already being used to carry their gear would get worn down. Kazuchika silently tossed them behind some crates and continued to the aircrafts.

Within the Ultra Hercules, Kazuhiko was busy working with Ritsu to continue reinforcing the technology in the KAM AtTac Suits Mk. IV, and allow them to easily install software-only storage servers, so that Team Kazuchika could not threaten another city’s digital infrastructure the same way as they did with Marseille while also compromising their operation.

“Terasaka, we heard that Kazuchika actually showed himself this time. Did Kazuhiko fare well seeing him?” Sugino inquired.

“Well, good enough to actually fight him. Didn’t get a good look at how he was doing, but he wasn’t exactly the Tyson of the exchange. Kazuchika wasn’t looking too good either, to be fair.” The former Gangleader stated. One thing did pop into his mind. “Does it count as a win for him that Kazuchika fled first?”

“Not if he got away with what he wanted.” Nakamura looked aside, ticked.

“He did, unfortunately. We all knew that though.” Kazuhiko, having finished his work at the electrician’s table, tidied up and came forth. “But it matters not anymore. He’s my sibling, so I shall discipline him - a double down of foot stomps that I had delivered to him before.” He confidently announced.

“Foot stomps? A little... Little, ain’t it?” Fuwa held her hip with skepticism.

“He may be trying to kill me on top of humiliating me, but we are on the right side because we shall not stoop to their grave degrees to be equally as cruel. You all hardly know how bad a flat instep can really be.” Kato politely refused the notion, before moving on to the others.

The cell of teammates he had just separated from continued to look at him quietly for a couple more moments.

“Why’s he acting like this is just a spat on a playground? The way this is going, there’s practically no way he will see eye to eye with his half-brother.” Terasaka wondered.

“Maybe that’s how he’s coping so much better now. By... Being a bit delusional about the whole thing.” Kimura suggested.

“Guys, cut it out.” Yada came over next. “Kato is just in line with reality as he always has. Which is to say absolutely so. I won’t deny he might be miscalculating, though, like he did with the Yanagisawas almost eight years ago. But there’s no way he’s not going to give familial redemption a shot with his own kin. He has to believe it’s possible.” The CFO supported.

“Man, let’s talk about that gamble, huh? It caused a terrorist act in the heart of Tokyo that we were almost caught in.” Nakamura reminded everybody.

“Which only shows how much like us he is. Because we all know we would choose our loved ones, and the amazing ideas we have of them, over the world. And that is exactly why we are currently divided in the first place.” Yada concurred with the statement.

Realizing the validity of the counter, everyone else nodded. 

“Just trust in him like you trust each other, everyone. And this Race will blow right over.” The ponytailed lady concluded, before leaving and heading towards her spouse.

The Ultra Hercules continued on its estimated fifteen-hour flight to the East-Asian city-state. Upon landing at a private airfield in Johor Bahru, located in Malaysia, a full complement of Range Rovers were available for them to make the quick and discrete transition into the seceded country.

“So more background on Singapore and how it fits into my father and Norio’s archived adventures...” Kazuhiko started up as they all were heading towards one of the Four Asian Tiger countries. “In 1987, a covert security mission known to the public as Operation Gamut was commenced by the nation’s Homeland Security. On that evening, more than twenty seemingly random individuals were detained without due process, with the insinuations being that they were involved with the Cold War’s red spread. In truth, no such thing was actually happening, due to the fact that none of them had the cerebral acuity for such acts. Instead, this was the country’s rehearsal prior to officially launching their transportation system.” He started.

“The Mass Rapid Transit was a cover-up for another sting op?” Naoko required confirmation for the statement.

“That was the intent, though Singapore did understand that having a huge, central rail network consolidated by the MRT could prove very useful for everyone. They obviously fashioned it for their own preferences, though - high-traffic zones, compact cars, and proper surveillance would easily allow Homeland to catch their foreign and domestic spies, especially when it was becoming clear that the Soviet Union was coming to an end and more needed to be socially indoctrinated.” Yada answered. 

“This would be especially poignant due to the recent shifts in the voting policies of the next Prime Minister, and a prevalent representation could serve well to bolster their numbers anew. Alas, this failed when another midnight op, this one much more clandestine than the last, arrested all of these spies, and allowed the original detainees to be let go quietly.” Kato finished.

“Damn, that must’ve been a scary few weeks. Or months.” Kimura remarked.

“Always was during the time the Free World was in danger.” Karma refocused. “Anyhow, I can see where this is going; Singapore’s infrastructure could account for the high-traffic zones and compact cars. But the surveillance part is going to be trouble; even with all the security cameras they could ever install, there would be no way federal officials could accurately locate and identify all of their perceived moles, who’d happily be using the larger congestion to hide in plain sight while scoping out the city. There must’ve been something, or someone, else that was helping them get that done.” The Redhead went on.

“Yeah - that’s where the couriers come in.” Naoko carried on from there. “Kazuto must’ve thrown blank checks their way to keep their eyes out for suspicious folks. Eyes on all their surroundings was always a skill such postmen needed, after all, and there would be no doubt they’d collide with the targeted individuals on the railways they’d similarly employ to get their official jobs done.” The Secret Agent reasoned. 

“And if this is anything like the last few missions - and the ones we’ve undertaken during the Shadow War - I reckon we’re going to be looking for somebody that actually participated in all of this a lifetime before, huh? Not the bosses or chief officers of these courier companies; they wouldn’t ever know about black ops like these. The actual couriers who were around in the late eighties?” Nagisa suggested.

“It’s the best lead we’ve got right now, yes.” Yada concurred.

“Ritsu, can you try accessing all of the employee records databases to find us all firms with employees that far down in history?” Yukimura looked towards her flip-phone. 

“I shall find any files available regarding these couriers.” The pink-haired A.I. nodded, before heading off into the net.

“Is there any shot that the remaining mail-runners could have just slipped through the paychecks and never knew of such a conspiracy?” Karma wondered.

“Since when did a Kato ever allow a crack like that exist in their clues and plans?” Naoko turned to him and asked back with a condescending inflection.

Team Kazuhiko finally arrived in Singapore, stopping in a lot beside Merlion Park. 

“Holy shit.” Okajima cursed with surprise upon stepping out of the SUV and stretching to his heart’s content. His hands immediately went to his camera as he snapped a picture of what he was witnessing. “What the Hell kind of building is that?”

“You’re right - a... Boat, on top of three tall buildings, is pretty jarring.” Sugino described their target of focus.

“That would be the Marina Bay Sands. An integrated resort that came out relatively recently. Hyped up as the most expensive standalone casino property in the world. I got to stay for a couple nights there while discussing business with fellow tycoon S Ibrahim, CEO of recent Biotechnology startup-turned-titan Senith. We agreed to sponsorship worth 230 million USD for us... And a cool 100 mil for Cyberdyne, Inc.” Yada explained and tangented.

“You spoke with Sasai for a partnership deal?” Kato was pleasantly surprised. “When did you plan on telling me about it?” He turned to his spouse.

“Try asking yourself that question, and the answer will come to you in the blink of an eye.” The CFO stated, also with a grin.

“Please, don’t flirt in front of us, you two. It’s reminding a couple of us how alone we are.” Hayami looked aside, readjusting the strap of her guitar case (which was secretly housing fragments of her Savage MSR10) on her left clavicle.

Before the duo had a moment to answer back, Yukimura’s phone beeped loudly, alerting them all. “Ritsu? You got anything?”

“Three things. Three companies with digital records of employees still at it since the late eighties.” She spoke. “And those three are: Velociti, Mercutio, and Ever-Ride.”

“Nice that it’s such a manageable number, but...” Terasaka was looking on his InReTs, discovering the minimum triangular range that each courier agency would encompass across the Singaporean hub. “We’d be going to pretty much all ends of the country to investigate and interrogate them.” He grumbled.

“Then we shall split up to divide and conquer, as we usually do. It’ll be easier for all of us to remain discreet anyways.” Maehara stated.

“Godspeed, all of you.” Ritsu saluted.


	14. Energy to Run Around All Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An elusive Courier who's been around the blocks of Singapore since the eighties is who Team Kazuhiko and Kazuchika are looking for. And they are not going to rest until they track him down, while trying their best to keep the other away. 
> 
> After tours in India and France where the younger Kato has come up short in ensuring that his enemies stay in the dark, his side is in a major fit to get a definitive win here in the city nation. Will it happen?

After Ritsu the trusty program returned with some seriously vital intel, Team Kazuhiko divided themselves into three smaller units who would investigate the identified courier services for longtime employees all at the same time. 

_ Wouldn’t our range of witness options be greater if we included ex-couriers in the mix? It feels as though we are taking quite a big leap of logic there, favoring only the ones that are still going. _ Sugino grew a bit skeptical at the current parameters of their search.

_ Not too crazy; Dr. Yanagisawa had a similar long game in mind when he hired the photographer at Rainbow Bridge during the Shadow War. _ Hayami asserted.

_ That. And note too that it is usually the ones who are still doing what they’ve always been doing that would be most knowledgeable about the topic. Not to mention being the ones most willing to provide the clue to us, and even then they’ll be pretty preoccupied; the ones who left the industry are likely beyond afraid of the system to provide this info, at risk of exposing a conspiracy. _ Nagisa looked at the ground for a moment in thought.  _ Which, to be fair, that’s kind of what they will be doing by speaking to us. _

_ Let’s hope you’re right. I really don’t want to get another nail-biter like what was in France. _ Nakamura acknowledged.

The team continued onwards to their marked destination. Naturally lacking the strategic location, resources, and vigilance of any defensive force, there were infinite options at Sub-Team Nagisa’s disposal to tackle a rent-spaced, eight-story building. So it would be forgiven to not be too surprised that in some way, they were inside the server room of the office within a couple of minutes, scouring their many records.

_ Ritsu, have you found any more details that you can tell us about that one Velociti employee from the eighties? _ Maehara asked, as he held up his phone connected to one of the pizza-box-style computers.

_ I have. _ The A.I. returned to the screen.  _ But the data does not point to any good implications. _ She lamented.

_ Hit us with it. What’s wrong? _ Nakamura looked over the crouched orange-blonde’s shoulder to listen in.

_ These storage servers update the employee profiles whenever the identified employee has logged their latest deliveries and sign offs for the evening. With regards to our golden goose - one Ng Nair - he doesn’t have any logs for the past five years, approximately. _ She explained.

_ That’s awfully strange behavior. Or a lack thereof. _ Hayami noted. Her eyes then flared up as she looked out the small window of the server room entrance door.  _ Someone’s coming. Find a hiding spot, ladies and gentlemen. _ She ordered them all, as she activated EM-Traverse to stick to the wall just above the door sill. The rest either copied on the walls closer to them or climbed up to the flat tops of the tall server racks.

The technician walked in, none the wiser to the presence of five other souls. Though he soon would be, as Hayami dropped back down as quickly as she had climbed, immediately locking in the hand-clasp version of the rear naked choke. “<Argh- Whah duh-?!>” The man managed to utter in English under his breath, long having dropped his clipboard and pen.

The rest similarly descended and surrounded him, donning KAM AtTac masks to conceal their identities. “<The surprise of a wrap around the neck has more energy than coffee, hm?>” Maehara, using a voice modulator on his own mask, taunted. Also in English.

“<Who are you people?>” The employee demanded to know.

“<That’s not as important as knowing what happened to old Mister Nair.>” Nakamura snarked back at him as a response.

“<Urgh, Nair?>” The Singaporean requested confirmation.

“<Ng Nair. You ought to know, accessing these records and updating them every day?>” Sugino elaborated and reasoned.

“<That’s what this is about?>” The technician expressed surprise.

“<Answer the question, Mister...>” Nagisa looked at his waist-strapped ID keycard. “<Swee.>” He identified him.

“<Mr. Nair retired five years ago; wonderful exit with the board. They never bothered to properly lay him off as he spent much of his final day delivering as much as he could. And news came to them three years ago he had passed away from heart failure!>” He responded.

“<This is true?>” Maehara tilted his head curiously.

“<To the word!>” Swee confirmed.

“<Very good, Mister Swee. Now get some shuteye; I can hear your baggy eyelids closing.>” Hayami ordered, before she delivered a forward elbow smash to the back of his head. Nagisa caught him before he could fall on his face from the impact, but the man was long out cold by the time he sank into the bluehead’s embrace.

_ <Damn it...> _ Nagisa still spoke in English, as he laid the unconscious technician on a nearby wooden table. The man’s sweater served as his head support.

_ We got to call it in. _ Hayami held her hip and looked aside

_ Velociti was a dead end, everyone. A terrible case of not recording the employee’s discharge.  _ Nagisa informed the rest of the Team using their communications systems. He just as quickly turned it off and turned to the rest of his teammates.  _ No point sticking around here. Let’s go join up with the others. _ The bluehead proposed.

Meanwhile, on Kato and Naoko’s side, seeking the truth if it is there in Ever-Ride...

_ So, any luck with Karma lately? _ The Chairman asked the Secret Agent while they were far enough from the rest while leading them to the agency.

_ Guys shouldn’t be asking girls about guys they don’t have to be jealous about, Kato. _ Naoko refused to properly answer.

_ Are you very sure about that? There’s such a thing as being a concerned, innocent guy pal. _ Kazuhiko asserted.

_ What’s it matter to you? You’re going to be supporting Karma if the retry completely fails anyways. _ She dismissed the notion.

_ I think otherwise; if both sides did have a point, I’d go with my longer friendship. That would be you. _ Kato argued his stance.

_ Then maybe you and your family are a bit traitorous. To your own gender dynamics, at least. _ Naoko quipped.

_ Naoko, you know that’s not something to joke about. _ Kato forced a wincing smile to prevent a grimace, while also fiddling with his grandfather’s dog tags.

_ I understand. But I do want to keep that in the back of your mind, Kato. Maybe your father did create a doomsday device, and your image of him is betraying you. Like how it took me so much time to realize you and your Yakuza were actually some pretty good people in spite of the outwards title. _ The Secret Agent postulated.

_ Regardless, Naoko. Going through this rigmarole will be incredibly fruitful for us. Exactly in the way we had anticipated. _ The Chairman reminded her imperatively.

Naoko couldn’t help but scoff at his vocabulary choice, before moving on.

_ What were you two just discussing? _ Terasaka, having caught up to them, questioned.

_ Synopses of various romantic novels. We tend to read those for the miscellaneous stakeouts. _ Kato, with a reverse arm-fold, answered with semi-accuracy.

_ Don’t you be lying to us, Kato. We know you can’t. _ Mimura snarked.

_ I’m not. _ Kazuhiko proceeded to control his lenses’ UI to display a book cover image to everyone else’s. Said book cover was for J. Austeen’s  _ Sense and Sensibilities _ .

_ Well then...  _ Terasaka looked aside with awkward acceptance. Okajima joined him, whistling uneasily as he was reminded of his previewing of one of Fuwa’s old doujins, which was based off of the same book. Only... Well, you know.

Minutes later, the sub-team had reached the Ever-Ride Headquarters. It was of a similar structure to Velociti, which meant that it was far too easy to infiltrate. Too easy, in fact, that it would take far more time then what was necessary to accomplish the task. Subsequently, the five of them decided on an alternative.

“<What do you mean, ‘you do not know what became of the employee known as Chye?’>” Naoko, also wearing her mask and using a robotic-sounding voice modulator and speaking in English, demanded clarification from a courier pulled from the streets and into an alley. She had him by the collar, unable to get his feet back underneath himself.

“<I told you! I know nothing about the Chye you’re referring to!>” The courier frighteningly answered back to them.

“<What Chyes do you know?>” Terasaka pressed him further.

“<Chia Chye, ten-year senior courier. Abdul Chye, three weeks ago->” The man frantically listed out names.

“<Are there any Chyes that have been around since the late eighties? Promoted to desk? Turned into a serious investor? HR Rep? Anything?>” Mimura went around the interrogated.

“<I don’t know any Chyes in the hierarchy that have been there for that long! The most is seven in Marketing!>” He responded.

“<Don’t dare lie, Casmir. We have things under the belt much worse than what you can dream of.>” Okajima threatened him in the most affable way he knew how.

“<I’m not lying! Honest!>” Casmir affirmed.

The five looked between each other for a split-second before back at the courier. 

“<We believe you. Which is why we’re only going to give you a case of the bad dreams.>” Kazuhiko saluted, before making a beak of his right hand’s digits and jabbing it into his close ear. The incessant ringing that followed sent the man into shock and he passed out. 

Naoko set the limp man down on a secluded loading ledge in the hallway. Alongside roughly ten others of his company’s ilk. 

_ Practically the same answer every time. Tells us pretty much nothing. _ Terasaka kicked a discarded coffee cup that was only minding its own business standing on the curb.

Naoko stared at him for a moment before looking up to the sky.

_ You have an idea. _ Mimura noticed her irregular behavior.

The Secret Agent looked back at him.  _ Maybe the repetition is telling us everything. Kato, remind us again what Ritsu had found in her outside look of Ever-Ride’s employee database. _ She requested affirmation.

_ Last-name-only tagging, preferring to use region preference, mode of transport, gender, and route logs as the differentiation. Works well to allocate more space to caching, by removing the tagging bit for the given name. Personal records were also kept aside from identification. _ Kazuhiko explained again.

_ Exactly. _ Naoko snapped her fingers.  _ It’s likely the company has been doing periodic purges of data involving any employees that they haven’t had in a while to make room for the new ones who also use the same name. Everyone speaks of Chye from a year or several years ago because that’s all they can find and recall. Anything that we could find from the Chye of 1987 is already long gone, with the man long since been out of the spotlight. Could be drunk in a pub in Cuba, an insanity ward patient in LA, or anywhere. _ She stated.

_ Those are pretty specific fates... _ Okajima acknowledged.

_ The bottomline is, _ Kazuhiko sighed.  _ Certifying that any of those are indeed the case would take less time than to find one little needle in the operation history of Ever-Ride. There’s no point following this lead any more. _ He then went to his comms.  _ Ever-Ride is a cold trail, everyone. I hope you’ve found gold elsewhere. _ He informed them. 

Meanwhile, the final cell of Team Kazuhiko members were making headways West to reach the main building for Mercutio Courier Services.

_ Has Naoko mentioned me in a positive light at all during the Kinglayer Crisis?  _ The Ministry Financer suddenly inquired to the CFO.

Yada turned to her fellow leader with just the slightest iota of surprise.  _ So Naoko’s words do still matter to you? _ She bluntly theorized.

_ Only as far as her exe talk would go. Can’t have her spewing lies about how it all went down.  _ Karma refocused. But just as quickly, his mind seemed to backpedal considerably.  _ Not that I anticipate she would do that. _ He capped off.

_ Well, she doesn’t appear to hold any grudge that would ruin your rapport with her. If that’s any comfort.  _ The CFO acknowledged.

_ Is it... Perhaps, shall we say, reparable?  _ Karma tilted his head curiously at her.

_ If you both put in the effort. Just like last time.  _ Yada responded back.

_ Maybe... _ The Ministry Financer refocused again.  _ Now hold on a second, why do you think I need to improve any? Just what has she been telling you? My shenanigans haven’t been the source of our troubles. _ He became defensive.

_ Um, Karma- _ She attempted to defuse the situation swiftly.

_ No no no no no, don’t start. Have you seen me do anything remotely prankish at all lately?  _ He interrupted her and inquired aggressively.

Yada held her hip with skepticism and condescension written all across her face; especially as she shook her head slowly at the man.  _ Let it be known you brought that up first. And that you know the very urgent reason why you haven’t been doing anything intentionally insulting or painful.  _ She commented with serious implications.

Unfazed by her snark, Karma gave her an equally intense stare.  _ You don’t get to judge either. You are wholly supporting everything your spouse has done before; even partaking in it as we speak. You cannot let go of the old times, much like me. _ He analyzed.

_ But I make sure I do it in a way that enriches both of our lives - not ruin them. Kato tells stories of his exploits to me consistently, and with his backing I can happily choose to join him at my behest. Don’t you see? None of these old adventures coming back to life means much if nobody else is in on it. If they don’t know how it works, if they have a say in the matter, or even why you’re doing it, can you expect them to be all smiley with you during the aftermath of all those antics? _ She reasoned

Karma held his tongue for a moment staring at her.

_ Well? _ The CFO insisted on an answer.

_ The point of a prank is that only the prankster knows. _ The redhead argued back before long. At which point they continue onwards without further discussion, though Yada still looks a little worked up about its lack of definitive conclusion. The others (Okano, Kimura, Fuwa, and Yukimura) couldn’t hear them, but they knew it didn’t end well, too.

The sub-team reached the Mercutio Offices soon enough. Though it was just as easy to invade without tipping someone off and tripping any alarms, this larger team decided on a much more legal, if a bit morally conniving, method to obtain the information they desire.

“<Hello, ma’am.>” Yukimura, having put on sunglasses and tied the ends of her hair into short twintails, greeted a front-desk operator. Yada, similarly (and fabulously) garbed, was in immediate tow behind her. “<May I speak with one of your couriers by the name of Rajesh Ning?>” She tacked on.

“<Huh?>” The secretary looked up at the two ladies with surprise. “<May I ask what this is about?>” She pulled down the corded microphone belonging to her headset.

“<I and my fiance here...>” Yukimura motioned over to Yada, who gave a quick wave and proceeded to continue to look around the venue like a regular tourist. “<We are planning to deliver a small little package to a longtime friend. The last time with the courier in question, except the other way around, Mr. Ning had the enthusiasm and affability to join in our colleague’s scripted affair and made the delivery one to remember. We would like to enlist his services to provide the same entertainment.>” The greenhead explained.

“<Oh, is that right? Why would no such behavior come up in the years many employees here have known him? He is a longstanding worker for Mercutio, as we’ve been told.>” The front clerk wondered inquisitively.

“<You’re very right.>” Yada stepped up, focusing on the office assistant. “<With some time since we’ve last interacted, Mr. Ning must be pushing his late fifties, if not sixties. Sounds crazy to be still doing this, huh? But he surely has the energy.>” She refocused. “<On the other hand, though, he is the most senior member of the party, so he must be thinking he has to play up the consummate professional side of him so much. Which is most likely why he’s kept it on the down-low for anyone not his customers.>” The CFO suggested.

“<I see. Well...>” The operator seemed to perk up at the atypical topic for smalltalk, though breaking off to explore the database of employee logs. “<However, I’m afraid that Mr. Ning has not arrived at this building just yet. You may leave your package on queue for once he arrives and begins making rounds, but I’m afraid you must step out of line now. Unless another courier may suffice.>” She informed the both of them.

“<Aw, but that will not do!>” Yukimura complained. “<Either option won’t work; we leave, and he won’t get the procedure! Another courier is not going to get it.>”

“<Perhaps you can tape the directions to your skit on the box for the package you seek to deliver, ladies?>” The desk op proposed.

“<I suppose that could work. Is there any chance we’d go first though? The package should arrive before lunch break today.>” Yukimura begrudgingly nodded.

“<In the pursuit of fairness, ladies, I’m afraid I cannot guarantee your delivery will be first in the queue.>” The Singaporean woman uneasily turned away.

“<Perhaps we could work something out?>” The greenhead attempted what appeared to be a shady bribe.

“<I’m afraid you’re completely reliant on the luck of the draw when it comes to Mr. Ning’s order of service, the two of you.>” The operator asserted firmly.

“<Jennie, I think we should just let it go.>” Yada stepped forth, turning Yukimura around to her by her shoulders.

“<You sure Christina? We’ve been planning this out for months.>” Yukimura expressed some desperate frustration on the matter.

“<Not to trouble it with anyone else.>” Yada considered the operator’s situation.

“<Hagh, very well.>” Yukimura, still in character as Jennie, sighed, before returning her attention to the front-desk clerk. “<I suppose we’ll take the layaway option. Allow me to write a little something up. To put it on there...>” The greenhead proceeded to put ink to paper almost a dozen numbered lines, while the operator inspected the box for the necessary P.O. information.

A minute later, and with some seemingly creative input from Yada/Christina, Yukimura had finished and slapped it onto the side of the box.

The desk worker naturally took curiosity to the procedure and turned the container over to get a quick look. But you know what they say...

“<Huh? What might this be?>” She voiced her surprise.

“<It’d be a bright camera shutter, your mind will quickly go a-flutter, and sleep.>” The CFO spoke one of her enthralling incantations before giving a soft snap of her fingers into the left ear of her target. She naturally made a conscious effort to be as quiet and inconspicuous about the ordeal as possible.  _ <We’re sorry about this, honestly. We don’t mean harm.> _

_ <Alright...> _ The secretary with a blank stare at the box murmured.

_ <We don’t want to ruin your job or Mr. Ning’s. So perhaps we could speak with him before work?> _ She suggested.

_ <I... See no issue.> _ The other woman agreed sluggishly.

_ <Good. So where might we find him when he’s not here? Not courier-ing?> _

_ <House. 125 Stream... Valley Jalan.> _

_ <Thank you. This shift been long?> _

_ <Ten. Hours.> _

_ <Poor thing. When you wake up, play this up to exhaustion. And get the rest of the week off. Employees need energy, of course.> _ Yada concluded, before lightly tapping the wooden desk in front of her, reawakening the operator.

“<Oh, forgive me.>” The Singaporean woman held her chest with self-shame. “<I didn’t mean to doze off like that.>”

“<No issue; it can be hard work dealing with customers all day, especially the impatient ones. We’ll be having that package go on layaway now though, right?>” Yukimura, back in the front, played off the enforced scenario.

“<Of course. Just give this a signature with the minimum upfront, and this transaction’s over.>” The operator confirmed, before sliding a clipboard towards the duo.

A minute later, Yada and Yukimura were heading towards the post office’s exit. Meanwhile the filled cardboard cube that the (exhausted) secretary had just dealt with was moved to the back desk for finalization of the delivery. That wasn’t going to matter for long, however, as Karma stole it back from the ceiling when nobody was looking. 

The group reconvened two blocks away, with Yada and Yukimura ditching their fab disguises in a dingy alleyway along the way. 

_ Yada, you’re really taking Bitch-Sensei’s NLP and hypnosis training incredibly seriously. _ Fuwa noted. She was also spinning a corded drive like a flail in her right hand, indicating that she had seen to dealing with the CCTV footage that had recorded the two women while they were inside the courier headquarters. 

_ It’s always good to keep getting better whenever you can. _ Yada winked, then refocused.  _ Anyhow, we got an address. Let’s get a move-on with Mr. Ning. _ She reiterated.

_ Better tell the rest of the crew to get into circulation then. _ Karma acknowledged.

_Do we have an attack plan for tackling Ning, by the way?_ _This guy is a courier, after all, so he might be difficult to keep up with if we alert him. And this guy was a part of a Cold War conspiracy - he’d definitely be alarmed at the sudden asking around once he finds out._ Kimura pointed out cautiously.

_ We’ll have ways of keeping him calm. But with our current sense of urgency with this race, there’s no way we can beat around the bush about the topic we are going to discuss.  _ Karma acknowledged the concern while also downgrading it.

_ Hopefully we’re meeting up with one of those unflappable accomplices. Those ones who simply cannot care about the danger anymore. _ Okano crossed her arms.

None of the others from the sub-team bothered to give an answer, for they knew that in just a couple minutes’ time, it would soon be answered by the subject in question. 

Yada, with Karma following close behind, makes it to the third floor of an apartment complex, knocking on the mahogany door closest to the stairs. Every time the wood vibrated, the hanging mural of Singapore’s various landmarks created out of plastic beads made tacking sounds along the same surface.

The sound of an eyehole cover swiveling out of place so that the occupant on the other side could preview the duo could be heard. “<Who are you? Talent scouts? Forget it - I’m perfectly happy with my current job.>” He greeted them rather grumpily.

“<We understand. You haven’t switched companies for the past forty years, give or take after all.>” Karma remarked.

There was a long silence over that matter. “<Then what are you here for?>” The man on the other side questioned roughly a dozen seconds later.

“<Just looking for answers to questions that were raised all those years ago.>” Karma replied earnestly to him.

“<What the Hell do they matter to you? I can tell you weren’t around then.>” Ning bounced back defensively.

“<Events are temporary. Consequences can be eternal.>” Yada argued.

“<No. No, that’s not good enough. Now step off my welcome pad; you’re giving very bad vibes now.>” Ning tried to shoo them away.

“<Come on, champ. What do you have to be afraid of? Consp- Participants in activities like yours ordinarily don’t last as long as you do.>” Karma tried to reason with him still.

“<That’s only because I did what I was told and kept my mouth shut. I’m not about to start doing anything against that now.>” He shut the eyelet. 

“<Hey!>” Yada interjected. “<Open that eyehole one more time.>” She demanded.

Taking a frustrated moment (as indicated by the homeowner hitting the mahogany on the other side), he finally complied.

Yada worked on her flip-phone and then shoved the screen into the lens. It depicted a slideshow of all of the AssUniv members who have been forcibly separated from her and others. “<These people. They are in danger. Their loved ones are in danger. The ones who arranged your activities in the eighties are responsible. We need to stop them and help these people, because we care so much about them. We need your input.>” She insisted. “<Please. You might just be able to save them.>” She concluded.

“<Goddamn...>” He grunted. “<Give me one second.>” He stepped away. After about ten seconds, Ning’s footsteps grew loud again. He then slid something underneath the door slit.

“<An audio cassette...>” Karma picked it up.

“<Listen to that in a private place. Then meet me outside Long John Silver’s in Admiralty.>” He gave directions.

“<How do we know you’re not running off?>” Yada asked back.

“<I don’t run unless it’s my job. And I will die doing my job. I can assure you of that. Now beat it.>” He shut the eyelet again and walked deeper into his residence.

“...”

The duo accepted the terms, and left the apartment. Going into a nearby convenience store’s bathroom, where they also were able to snatch a record player that matched the cassette, the recording could play with the necessary discretion.

“<If you, whoever you are, are listening to this recording, then you are in... For some serious fucking shit.>” Ning, somewhere between his early teens to under-twenty, opened the recording. There was just something anticlimactic about the starting line despite the courier’s best, adolescent attempt to hype it up. “<It was only two years ago, when I was just fourteen, and two months into my employment at Mercutio when I was thrown into a room with twenty-four other Couriers - all with various backgrounds and degrees of experience - to listen to the request by some Japanese man. He didn’t give us any name of his that counted, but what mattered was the job: Spying on many people inside the newly-made transit station, and reporting back on whoever was not acting like tourists, like residents. Stuff like that.>” He explained.

Karma and Yada double-take between the recorder and each other to confirm their mutual comprehension of the subject matter.

“<When it was over, we obviously were told to never speak of the matter. I see no issue, though of speaking to myself, and I reckon if things were to go to shit eventually, it wouldn’t matter who spoke or not. So, yes, Operation Rainbow was a red herring, and we were dealing with something that was underneath. We got paid well, and we moved on. But not before each of us got some sort of package of our own to deliver. A final commission, that was to be brought to the national museum of Singapore... In 2050.>”

_ What? _ Yada squinted at the revelation.

“<There’s no receive contact, so naturally as a good boy I didn’t take it to mean me and open so early. I reckon that’s why Charlie disappeared just a month back. I hid this package in the MRT, which was our major area of operations. You would know this, though, if you have received this recording from me.>”

_ Cheeky bastard... _ Karma scoffed.

“<I mean what I said... Or will say. The package would be exactly where I told you it would be. Now...>” There were two double-taps on what can safely be assumed to be a table that Ning was seated at. “<Tick-tock.>” The tape subsequently and abruptly ends.

_ That time and address for the package’s delivery are obviously placeholders that were intended to be impossible to achieve. Kazuto had always intended for someone to ask one of his runners for that package before the year 2050.  _ The redhead asserted.

_ Ning’s got to give it to us. Let’s not keep him waiting. _ Yada noted, throwing the record player into the trash bin. 

Karma and Yada informed their sub-team, along with the rest of Team Kazuhiko, who were at this point converging on the Mercutio Office and needed redirection. The five themselves headed toward the Northern region to rendezvous with Ning. As they drew close, Fuwa, Okano, Yukimura, and Kimura split off to take surveillance posts so that the pointman and woman could contend with the contact in the same vein as before. 

They had finally reached the seafood restaurant’s main entrance. It wouldn’t take long for them to know what their next step was, either.

_ Hold, Karma. _ The CFO tugged on the Ministry Financer’s wrist, preventing him from entering the franchise location.  _ See that mobile? _

_ Ah... That hung from the door earlier. That’s his calling card, hmm? _

_ More than that. Now look over there. _ Yada pointed. Their mutual attention was then paid to a mural that was illustrated across a plaza overpass’ exterior, which could survey the restaurant from three blocks off. It bore an uncanny similarity to the smaller, suspended art.

_ I appreciate the work ethic of that man if he’s been switching out the mural every couple of years as it matches another one that belongs to another train station.  _ The redhead grinned.

They followed the cookie trail to the tunnel connecting two buildings, where Ning was truly waiting for them.

“<You two have good eyes. I always wondered after the decades have passed if that was not a good enough hint.>” The courier pulled on his knapsack’s strap.

“<We’ve been dealing with clues like this a lot recently - we’re not the best examples of the average sleuther.>” Yada acknowledged.

“<I should’ve suspected.>” He concurred.

“<Have you claimed your package? The one you described in your tape?>” Karma questioned abruptly.

“<Easy, young man. It’s in Admiralty Station. I didn’t want to get it before we met back up because I reckon you two are not the only ones who want it. Am I right in that matter?>” Ning questioned back apprehensively

“<Yes, you are right. So?>” Yada wondered what was next.

“<You know who those people are. I knew that from the conviction in your voice. So you will make sure they don’t get me. And in return, I will get you the package.>” He suggested.

“<Okay. You got a deal.>” Karma nodded. Yada quickly bowed in agreement as well.

“<Watch my back, then.>” He reminded them one last time before heading his way. Yada and Karma went another way such that they were just about ten meters behind. They moved at a casual pace as they approached Admiralty MRT Station. Ning decided to either mask his goal or run dry his other (possible) followers’ patience by going into a nearby bakery to grab himself a bagel. The duo took up spots watching the small business from both sides on the street, with Yada seated at a cafe across the street.

_ He’s almost done, Karma. Get ready. _ The CFO observed.

_ About time. I could use some breakfast myself, now that I think about it. Hope he got something for me. _ The Ministry Financer snarked.

Yada smirked for a moment, continuing to look through the windows.

But then, a metal chair’s back support slammed right into Yada’s own. 

_ Thanks for identifying the next lead for us, Yada. _

_ Kurahashi...  _ The CFO swiftly realized who was whispering to her, without needing to even look back to confirm. 

_ I guess you had the right idea to search up courier services, huh? Explains why we saw you and other AssUniv members in the various agencies up and about.  _ Kurahashi noted.

_ So why the special attention for this one? And how do you know we’re not blowing smoke? _ Yada suggested instead.

_ Kazuchika said it best - time is of the essence for Kazuhiko, so feinting is out the door for him. Which also means your lead has everything to it. _ The Biologist explained.

_... _ Yada looked down in thought.

_ Thank you for confirming that too. Allow me to offer you some professional courtesy in exchange: Leave him to us. You, Karma, and the rest walk. And none of the scuffles and scruples from before need to happen. _ The strawberry-blonde asserted.

_ Channeling your inner Okuda there, Kurahashi? It’s cute. But I’m afraid I just can’t do that. _ The CFO remained obstinate.

_ Of course not.  _ The Biologist sighed, rising out of her chair and laying down a coin tip onto her garden table.  _ See you at work. _ She quipped. 

Yada winced with strain, keeping her eyes shut tightly before sighing and rising out of her chair as well.  _ Guys, we goofed. Team Kazuchika is out and about and because of our interactions, they know exactly who they need to follow. _

_ Shit. We got to get the rest of our team here to deal with them, then. _ Okano suggested.

_ Indeed. The four of you go, while Karma and I will try to slow them down as much as we can.  _ Yada added on to their objectives

_ You sure?  _ Fuwa requested confirmation.

_ Of course she’s sure. Now go get them. _ Karma turned down their doubts.

_ You got it then.  _ Kimura concluded.

_ Just out of curiosity, how might we be able to keep them away from Ning? The two of us are great, but enough good guys on the other side, like our old pals, can be overwhelming, as previous encounters have exhibited. _ Karma, walking further down his path, noted.

_ We won’t be taking them away from Ning. They know he’s the goal, so we can’t do anything about that. But they don’t know why he’s the goal. _ Yada pointed out.

Karma immediately figured it out upon hearing that statement.  _ Oh... The item of interest could be his own word... Or he’s a fellow messenger for the true informant. Or his bag has everything they need. _ He elaborated.

_ Exactly. _ Yada beamed for a moment.


	15. Energy to Defend the Asset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Apologies for the additional one-week delay. Who wold've thought breaks are still quite a tough time to find a moment to be on the keyboard? Unfortunately, cannot double down to make up for it right now, but I might be able to in the future once I've roughly gotten all the chapters down.
> 
> Yada and Karma accidentally allow Team Kazuchika's field cell to know exactly who they are tailing. Thankfully, they don't know why they need Ning the Courier just yet, so it is up to them to play a little game of counterintelligence - protect the asset until he divulges/exposes what he must, and prevent the enemy team of spies and assassins from figuring it all out and countering them at every stage.
> 
> Shouldn't be too tough, yeah?

Mr. Ning, none the wiser to the exchange between both sides of the AssUniv Community, continued his way towards the MRT Station on the Northern side of the sovereign island nation. 

Before long, however, he does get alerted to the danger that lurks around him, as a prepaid slide-phone that did not belong to him played from within his courier’s bag. Trepidatiously, he answers the call. “<Hello?>” He started up.

“<They’re here. And we will need you to do as we say to get away from them.>” Yada informed him, observing his movements with instantaneous glances.

“<Shit... Shit shit shit!>” His vocal tone intensified, though he knew better than to show that any other, more obvious way.

_ Hmm... Another phone?  _ Kazuchika observed with surprise. His laptop screen showed many of the personal devices that have been used by Ning over the decades. 

_ Lack of faith in their own comms system. That’s what it really means. _ Neito unwaveringly continued to play different Go moves for both players.

_ Smart nonetheless. _ Kazuchika tilted his head in acknowledgement.

_ Perhaps. But it won’t help them for too long. Continue to pursue. _ Neito dismissed.

“<You’re heading on a natural course to the bus stop that would bring other patrons above ground to the other train stations. Keep going there.>” Karma directed him.

“<But, the packa->” The Courier started up again. 

“<You will get to it. Worry about yourself for now.>” Yada swiftly dismissed the matter, taking off to a destination of her own.

Ning decided not to argue any further and kept heading towards the street shelter, which was already loaded with people standing and sitting, waiting to get on the shuttle that could quickly be seen turning onto its street.

Just as he had settled on the outer rim of the pack, someone also attempting to join the mob fell over on their face. Ning noticed the falter, being one of the closer to the scene.

“<Help that person up.>” Yada ordered, still walking some way.

Meanwhile, Karma is confirmed to be walking the other way, donning a cap and sunglasses. It turns out he had tripped up the fallen patron.

Ning sprung into action, lending the man (who now had a broken nose from the drop) his arm to get him back up.

“<Whisper your health questions and condolences to him.>” The CFO then demanded.

Ning bit the tongue behind his closed lips and moved his head to man’s close ear.  _ <Are you okay, sir?> _ He quietly asked.

“<Huh? Oh yeah, all good.>” The unassuming man in the hood responded, oblivious to the espionage battle going on.

_ <My apologies for your misgivings. Do take care.> _ Ning concluded, rising up with the man. He let go and waited just long enough to confirm that man could stand on his own.

“<Leave the stop before the bus comes.>” Yada implored. The Courier once more made haste with his ordained task.

_ He was talking secretively to that guy. _ Yoshida noted from inside a roofed Dodge Challenger across the street. He began producing a balaclava that was wedged between the car’s ceiling and the sun visor, intent on putting it on.

_ Bring the guy in. _ A masked Isogai ordered, as he, the Mechanic, and Muramatsu (who had appeared from a small alley between buildings) all power-walked to the stop, which now had a bus at its curb (at long last as far as the mob was concerned). The assassins used sharp elbows to leverage their way into the vehicle. Eyes on the hooded man that had been tripped, the Ikemen immediately seized him and threw him to the floor, much to all the other passengers’ gasps. Yoshida kept the man’s hands behind him as he then produced a sedative from one of his pockets that he subsequently injected into the man’s derrerie. 

Muramatsu pulled out a camera and immediately snapped a shot of the man’s unhooded face once his cohorts flipped the man onto his back. The image was immediately transferred over to Kazuchika’s station, who ran the mugshot through the identity database he had copied over from Singapore’s local grid. 

_ Fuck. _ The elder Kato half-brother cursed as he saw the result - Jeremy Lin, a recently-hired lab technician for a small business lojack-programming company. Completely without any interactions with courier agencies. “Get out of there, all of you. That hooded man was a red herring.” He announced to them.

Isogai, having got the memo, grit his teeth, realizing that the three of them had been made an ass and are now in a very public and indisputably terrible situation. He nods to them to place him gently back on his spot on the bus and evacuate.

“<Believe us now, Ning?>” Karma rhetorically asked him.

“<Uh-huh. I felt that breathing down my neck. Putting me deeply on edge.>” Ning worriedly answered back anyways.

“<Good. Means you’ll be more obedient. And fast. Now keep pace and head towards Admiralty again.>” Karma began U-turning back towards the MRT station. 

Ning himself was walking with a much quicker pace, though not one that outwardly made him overly suspicious for everyone else. 

“<See that cab behind you? Call for it.>” Yada pointed out to him.

Ning turned back with a raised hand that signalled the taxi over. He got into the vehicle’s backseat as soon as the dust on its wheels settled.

“<Tell the driver to go around to the other side of the station.>” Karma updated him.

“<If he shows resistance, look in your bag again.>” Yada added one more thing.

“<Howdy, sir. Where to?>” The motorist greeted and asked.

“<Far side of Admiralty MRT.>” Ning spoke aloud.

The driver looked back. “<You serious? It’s a five-minute walk. Ten tops.>” He noted.

Ning explored the same space that he had discovered the phone earlier, finding a stack of Singaporean dollars that must total at least S$500. “<Entertain me. You’ll be compensated.>” He swiftly dismissed the point, presenting the banded amount through the opening of the plastic window between them.

The driver hesitated for a moment, staring at the money that had fallen onto his centerpiece and then double-taking back to his customer. “<Your loss, I suppose.>” He switched gears and proceeded on the path.

_ He got in a taxi. So are we not heading to the MRT station? _ Hazama wondered, looking through binoculars from three blocks away.

_ Keep an eye on the car, and we will have our answer soon enough.  _ Kazuchika responded, looking through live coverage courtesy of Hara’s chest-pocketed phone.

It would take about sixteen minutes, due to the above-average congestion nearby the transit stop, but at long last, the cab arrived at the destination.

“<Thanks for the ride.>” Ning complimented (much to the grunt of the man who wanted nothing more to do with this odd situation), stepping out of the vehicle and making his way inside... Except he looks a little lighter than when he came in.

_ Hey, one of his couriers’ bags has been taken off! _ Sosuke interjected as loudly as he could while still whispering into his communications system.

_ Run down that vehicle!  _ Kataoka turned her attention back to the taxi, slipping on her own balaclava fully and joining Hazama and Sosuke in catching up to it. The driver being none the wiser to the closing gap and having to contend with all the same traffic on the way out helped significantly in that regard. 

“<Hey, what the-?!>” The operator yelled as the Anchorwoman smashed open the leading window with an AtTac-suit protected elbow, unlocking the door and pulling the man out. Hazama had found her way into the passenger’s section and welcomed the driver to sit (with cable ties on his hands behind him and a tightly-knotted cleave gag between his teeth) next to her, meanwhile Kataoka commandeered the sedan’s driving wheel and Sosuke joined her in the shotgun chair. 

It was only a couple seconds of Kataoka’s inconspicuous driving before Hazama found something.  _ Aha! _ She noted, pulling out the missing courier’s bag from underneath the driver chair.  _ <Pulling a fast one on us, huh?> _

The bound man, rather too convincingly, double-took between the cargo and his inquisitor with object and frantic bafflement. 

_ Now let’s see here... _ The Librarian unzipped the cargo open and stuck her gloved hand in. The second he did, however... “Yeowwch!” She exclaimed, pulling back her hand immediately. 

“What is it?” Sosuke looked back with concern. 

Hazama waved her arm free of the pain and then inspected the bag more. She then took out one of her “For Dummies” mini-booklets and prods the internal lining of the bag. Pressing down on that causes a vibration that transfers, albeit with significant reduction, through the small guide and into Hazama again. “This guy installed joy-buzzer tech into his bag.”

“What?” Kataoka puzzlingly requested confirmation.

Hazama then inspected the outline of the zipper again, and saw a little lever on the starting end, in which she pulled out as far as she could. When it retracted and she threw her hand into the bag again, nothing happened. “The Courier put this in to wade off pickpockets, or reverse-pickpockets. It shocks lingering hands enough to make them screech, or gives him a back massage for five seconds so that he can tell something got put on him.” She explained.

“Crafty little bastard. So what’s he guarding?” The Anchorwoman asked.

“Uh...”

“Hazama?” She took a quick aside glance before returning her attention to the road. 

“A banana, and a thank you letter.” She held the bag upside down and emptied its contents. “To Secret Santa, by the way.” She turned down any notion of a clue.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Sosuke responded frustratingly.

The cab driver, still bound and gagged, did his best to inspect the explained phenomenon and items as subtly as he could.

“Yada is reading all of our movements and her asset’s like a damn book.” Kataoka gripped the driver’s wheel much tighter, to the point that her fingers made deeply-grooved impressions on the structure. On top of the factory-made grooves, of course. 

Ning successfully made it into the public terminal, quickly acquainting himself with the closest crowd he could find. Not a moment too soon either, for a new search party had arrived inside soon after. Hara, Takebayashi, and Itona had gone through the station’s more populated entrance, but could not immediately discern their target amongst the sea of heads, and thus had to split and gain new vantage points, signaling as such to each other through gazes and nods.

Hara eyed herself a balcony-operated cafe on the third floor that could view the first and second tunnels well and made her way there, while Takebayashi took to sentrying the third. Itona planned on setting up some micro-cameras and some of his pocket drones to keep bird’s eye view of the location, so he found the quickest access to the top public floor and ordered a layout from Kazuchika (who crafted a schematic using a more-advanced version of Kato’s sonar mapping technology that was used in the Hayashida operations) to find the service doors that would take him even higher. 

Now into the federal staffing floor, The Engineer took a quick glimpse at a wall-mounted layout and used it to find one of the spectator decks, where he could easily install some of his ceiling-hugging technology. But just as he opened the doors to one of such observation rooms, someone immediately came from the other side to meet him - Yada!

There would be no time for greetings though, unlike how Kurahashi had confronted the CFO earlier - after all, the game is on. Instead, Yada introduced herself with a leaping Kitchen Sink knee strike to his chest, taking the wind out of the whitehead. Yada then pushed him towards the far wall, using him to open up another office door. The official whose room it belonged to, according to the calendar, was out for a several day interval, so there would be no one to be alarmed by doing this. 

Yada ducked underneath his reprisal hook to end up behind him and hoist him up for the waistlock reverse mat slam onto the carpeted ground. Itona quickly recovered though, rising up to his knees and giving a back elbow swing that hit the CFO’s temple. Knowing she’s stunned, he attempted to break the hug around his hips, but Yada took that opportunity to slip something around the approaching wrist. Itona immediately sees them to be cable ties, and gets a clap to his left ear for hesitating while doing so.

With him being the stunned one now, Yada looped the crossed tie to the fluted openings of a floor radiator. Itona tried to resist with his other hand, but that only brought both wrists closer, and Yada got them all together in a three-way intertwining of the hard plastic. Now defenseless and prone, Yada’s bulldog and a downwards punch to crush Itona’s face into the ground knocked him out.

Hoping that there were still no hard feelings between the two of them, Yada took the scarf hanging from a standing coat hook and bunched it up into a makeshift pillow, sliding it underneath the whitehead’s cheek. She also laid her hand on his upper back for a moment before closing the door of the office and sliding a waist-level bookshelf to block the lever-operated handle. With only a matter of time before this position would be compromised, Yada made haste to move to a new vantage point.

“<Mister, missus, haven’t gotten an order in a while. You’re not turning on me, are you?>” Ning quipped, giving scanning glances on all of his flanks. 

“<Don’t count on it.>” Yada remarked as she descended down a set of stairs. “<Which passage is closest to the lockups where you’ve stashed your 2050 package?>” She added on.

“<Third Tunnel.>” The courier confirmed.

“<Let’s go second and double back.>” Karma, who just now left a high-stool bar table, dictated to the asset and joined a walking mob of his own.

Ning complied and as soon as he looped back around to the indicated passage he diverted course. Takebayashi saw him deviate from the mob and upon seeing Okuda, silently informed her as much so that they both will tail him. They made sure that at least one of their eyes was on him at all times once inside the tunnel.

“<Up the spiral staircase next to you.>” Yada ordered, seeing his progression from across two windows. Ning did as much, despite giving a quick glance and realizing that making himself taller made him much more visible to the two pursuers. It didn’t mean he couldn’t keep going with a little more urgent pace, however.

“<Duck behind the rail and that plant now.>” Karma, walking on the same floor Ning had reached but favoring the storeside so that nobody below could see him (and also seeing the courier from behind), ordered. Once the latter did so, the redhead made haste to the staircase.

Okuda and Takebayashi clear the set of steps moments later, they turn back to regain a sight line of Ning, only to find that he had disappeared from public view. A seconds-longer investigation would’ve outed him from behind the artificial foliage, but Karma gave them only a second, appearing from behind and guiding Okuda’s wrist (which hid a sedative needle) into Takebayashi’s thigh.

With her freezing from the forced falter, Karma then pushed the rest of her into Takebayashi until they all collided with the railing. Takebayashi gives them both some space with a push kick to Karma’s leading shin, but that was going to be all of his input, for then his body became too sluggish from the chemical. Okuda turned back with a whole new needle, with its protective cap hitting the ground, and lunged towards Karma’s neck with it, but a well-timed bob made that miss. It also sets up his hip toss, putting Okuda on her chest, and a quick swat makes the needle in her hand skate harmlessly along the ground. 

Okuda quickly repositions onto her side and delivers a Listo Kick with the leg on top. Karma’s face pulls back just in time, but his grip on her wrist was struck in turn, freeing her. Okuda rises back to her feet and dives in for the flying Guillotine choke. Her face told the story after, though, as she realizes that her right arm had not fully wrapped around Karma’s neck, thanks to the redhead catching the wrist halfway and keeping the bicep from curling.

Resisting the lock long enough allowed Karma to put one on Okuda in kind - in his case, a standing arm triangle choke. Okuda lacked any leverage to resist the choke and within a dozen seconds, lost consciousness. Karma set her down gently on the bench in between two stores, and with courtesy set down a fading Takebayashi next to her, looking like a young couple sleeping on each other’s shoulders. Karma saluted them both and then dialed on a throwaway phone for 911, and put it behind their backs, hoping the local police will take them for a second time and away from the Lost-Wing Angels.

“<You’re safe, Ning. Return to take Third.>” Yada asserted, again seeking a new observation point.

“<Got it.>” The Courier rose back up and went down the stairs that he had just ascended from. But as he returned to the main tunnel, he saw a new, suspicious cell coming towards him. He just as quickly turned back around and went for an escalator on the rightmost side of the passage. “<I’m afraid that’s impossible. Some of your old friends are incoming.>” He notified them about his new tag-alongs - Hazama, Sosuke, and Muramatsu.

Yada stopped dead in her tricks upon realizing the new wrench in the plan. Without another thought, she raced back to her last vantage to scope the threat out. But in her haste, she did not check all of the nooks and crannies of the room, and paid for it when an arm suddenly slings around her throat. “Ggkh-!” She grunted. Her bluetooth earpiece flew off from the whiplashing impact, preventing her from communicating to Ning and Karma while still in distress. Yada managed to weave her hand into the keyhole and pressed forward, lessening the strain on her neck, while also giving a back headbutt. Kataoka anticipated such a counter, though, and blocked it with an open hand, which then slithered around to claim the trachea again from the other side. To add to her advantage, She also hooked her other arm in a chickenwing on Yada’s right, neutralizing its use. 

“<What should I do, you two? Bad time to be stumped.>” Ning asked.

“<Keep going where you’re going. Act like you’re getting on the train.>” Karma, covered behind the service corridor’s entrance wall, answered.

Ning ran out of platform seconds later, though, and what’s more the train was approaching. “<If I can’t double back... Do I get on?>” He suggested.

“<What?>” Karma requested elaboration.

“<Do I get on the train?>” Ning provided clarification.

“<You better not stay on; you need to be here!>” The Financer reminded him.

“<And what if I can’t do that?>” The Courier reiterated.

“<Don’t bother then!>” The redhead answered flatly.

“<Easier said than done - where are you?>” Ning took aside glances, trying to sift through the waiting commuters for the two he had seen earlier.

“<I’m... Unfortunately pinned down.>” Karma noted, as he confirmed his situation to himself by tossing an empty coffee cup from the trash out into the open floor. It was promptly sniped out of the air and hit the far wall.

Chiba, sitting behind a Savage Stealth EVO .338 SNR, had the bathroom entrance on lockdown, knowing Karma had fled there after the initial warning shot. From almost 500 meters away, it was clear that the windows sloped up on the ceiling of Admiralty Station had been dealt with so that the bullet would not have to tumble through it. What’s more, there appeared to be a construction ramp to catch the glass shards, concealing evidence of tampering from personnel.

“<Shit! And your partner?>” The Courier cursed.

“<Sounds like she’s in trouble elsewhere.>” Karma explained.

“<Not good.>” Ning remarked.

“<Understatement.>” Karma looked around, hoping he could find something that could be put to his advantage.  _ Can’t use Octo-Ink - he’ll see through the color-meshing with that Kinetic Eye of his. Nobody’s coming through to hide behind either. Goddamn, why did I have to take refuge in here?  _ He cursed to himself.

“<I’ve got to go in.>” Ning shook his head and stepped into the train car, just before the trio could get a good look on him after weaving through the swarm.

“<Please tell me you can safely get out.>” Karma communicated back. 

“<Uh...>” Ning elongated the syllable when he found out that one of the assassins was watching all the doors along the chassis of the rail car.

“<You’re not just about to get found out.>” The redhead demanded such denial.

Ning couldn’t answer audibly at this point, only backpedaling from his view of the three exploring the train cars while proceeding to his own.

“Ergh!” Yada voiced her strained effort to wriggle free of Kataoka’s crossface and chickenwing of her arms, but all to no avail. 

“I’m sorry, Yada. But I can’t let go until we’ve secured your new friend.” The Anchorwoman acknowledged, compressing on her neck a little more when she felt more spirited resistance from her foe.

In the meantime, Kurahashi had mobilized on location (with Yoshida and Hara nearby), finding the unconscious Okuda and Takebayashi, extracting them before the police could arrest them again. Isogai was around to do the same for Itona, finding him inside the closed office.

Sosuke, Hazama, and Muramatsu have inspected all the other cars on the half of the platform they are sure Ning had gone on, just as the bell sounded for the last call of passengers. They then entered into the final section just as the doors shut.

Karma, hearing a train taking off, grew skeptical of what was happening. “<Ning? Ning? Where are you?>” He asked frantically.

_ He must be in here.  _ Muramatsu concluded, as they all subtly inspected each and every passenger nearby.

_ Do you see him then?  _ Hazama interrogated, bopping her head to look underneath an uninvolved man’s deep cowl.

_ Got nothing.  _ Sosuke shrugged. He then gave a quick scan around the entire vehicle.  _ That was everybody. _

_ Something’s not right... _ Muramatsu realized, as he then took to his comms system.  _ Kazuchika. Confirm please - did the courier leave the train at the last second? _ He questioned.

Kazuchika, perplexed, checked a second time of Admiralty Station’s CCTV. “I’m very certain he didn’t walk out... Of.” He slowed his speech in realization of a certain trend from each car. That trend being that every single car on the Third passage had a person leave with an oversized duffel bag with Hockey logos. They all arrived at the exit passage at different times naturally, but all five carried the same bag, which could all fit a balled-up human under six feet. “Everyone, the asset was not on the train. Repeat, the asset was not on the train; he is still on the field here in Admiralty.” He cautioned them all. 

Kataoka expressed confusion at the sudden shift of the situation, enough so that Yada could seize the opportunity - and a taser baton from the Anchorwoman’s jacket pocket. Charging it up and tapping it on Kataoka’s choking forearm caused her to wince and let go of the submission. She prevents another one-two of such attacks with good Ballistic Shield blocks, followed by a perfect whack that sends the stun stick out of Yada’s grip. 

Doing so smacked The CFO’s back of hand, straining it slightly. Knowing the objective isn’t to fight, Yada immediately rolls out of centerline and underneath Kataoka’s haymaker swing with her shielded arm. This was a set up to mask her claiming of an FNS Compact in a shoulder holster behind her jacket, but just as she took aim at the grounded Yada, the latter threw a small flurry of her Shock-Pads in an upwards arc towards her. Kataoka stepped back and leftward to avoid the linear spray, and by the time she recalibrates, Yada had already sprinted out the door. The former hit her forehead with the grip of her pistol in dumb frustration.

Yada, revealing to have recovered her earpiece while escaping, puts it back on while racing down the stairs. “<Sorry for the wait. What have I missed?>”

“Yada! Good to hear you’re fine.” Karma expressed relief. 

“Karma, where’s Ning?” The CFO wondered.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” The Ministry Financer snarkily responded.

“But not as good as mine.” A new voice emerged from out of nowhere.

Karma and Yada both looked up in surprise, but a second’s reflection later brought smiles to both of their faces. 

“Sorry for the wait, everyone.” Terasaka noted, as he looked back to make sure some of his old gang and Sosuke weren’t actually behind him. He then took a look at the four others with bags - Naoko, Okano, Okajima, and Maehara - who all started splitting off as soon as they could. 

Yada and Karma then receive notifications on their tactical lenses for a secure call on their personal systems which they accept.

_ I can always count on you two to hold the line against my brother. I may just need to leave more things to you in the future. Like the... Corsica Deal.  _ The Chairman quipped. Judging by the perioding switching of lighting and shading between moving bars, he was on the other side of a retro rotation billboard while watching much of the station. 

_ Kato... Thanks for the assist. _ The CFO showed gratitude to the CEO.

_ What now? Let me just remind you I got a scope fixated on me. _ Karma noted.

_ First we’re going to get Ning here in some new clothes. A fresh disguise should throw everybody else off the trail.  _ Kato prioritized.

_ Copy. _ Terasaka confirmed the order, noticing he is about to reach a bathroom hall and enters it. Upon getting into the big stall, Terasaka set down his oversized bag, unzipping it to reveal the Courier inside, curled-up tightly like a fetus.

_ <GOD!> _ Ning whispered as loud as he could, wriggling out of the storage as quick as he could.  _ <Must it have to stink so much in there?> _ He inquired.

_ <The idea that we are hockey players must be sold to the utmost, Mr. Ning.> _ Terasaka reminded him. He then unzipped an end pocket of the duffle, revealing some plastic bags filled with sweatpants, sweaters, and sneakers.  _ <Now put those on. Time to be inconspicuous again.> _ He added on, tossing all of the bags at him.

Ning tried on the first batch, but they proved too small from the get-go, and so he moved on. After the fourth try, an ensemble was completed. Except for the shoes.

_ <Dude, it only works if you have everything on.> _ Terasaka snarkily reminded him.

_ <Sorry, but none of these pairs fit.> _ He remarked, trying to loosen out the mouth of the closest size as much as he could.

_ <Alright Bigfoot, let’s try this...> _ Terasaka came closer and started pushing it deeper. When that wasn’t getting too far fast, he resorted to smacking the toe-end of the shoes in.

_ <Ow, ow ow ow.> _ Ning voiced his pain. “Ow! Ow!”

“<Don’t you run? This should be a Summer breeze for you.>” The Wrestling Politician expressed his mild disappointment.

“<You are speaking to a rising senior, bastard.>” Ning reacted sharply.

“<You chose to keep working at your ripe age - this is on you.>” The younger man countered.

“<Ugh, got me there. Fine, keep going.>” The Courier shook his head.

But as the two continued to get into new disguises, a tap from the other side of the stall covers resounded in the lavatories.

“<Please, if you’re gonna do the dirty deeds, could you try to be quiet with it?>” Another unrelated attendant grumbled. He then could be heard unrolling some toilet paper in anticipation for if they weren’t going to be so silent.

Terasaka and Ning both stare up to concentrate on the fellow stall occupant’s words, then back at each other with horror over what their situation is being mistaken for.

Needless to say, the duo wasted no more time than they needed to in order to get redressed and step out. The Gang Leader kept a respectable distance, going ahead while Ning stayed inside the facilities for a good five seconds. 

“<Where to then, mister?>” Terasaka gave a quick scan of his front surroundings.

“<Starboard lockup.>” Ning communicated back to them. 

“...” Kato, overhearing the whole conversation, remained skeptical. But he didn’t have long to look it over as he then turned his attention to a rising situation with Nakamura and Naoko, who delivered a silver platter and shield whack respectively to two others who shouldn’t be going up the North staircase; Kurahashi and Yoshida. They both rolled down the stairs, but not before Naoko had claimed a wire from Yoshida’s person, studying it slightly before finding a small red button to press.

Chiba, who still had Karma locked down in the same hall, then got a non-context distress beacon. He immediately turned to the First Tunnel’s staircase, awaiting a new threat. As he looked down his scope, he then got another private call - with conversation this time. “Nest.” He confirmed his identity.

“Stronghold. Mobile Suit 2 has suffered a tumble. Watch the First Tunnel.” Kazuchika advised the team sniper.

Chiba had to glance over to his miniature radio for a moment in confusion, until he realized that the ones using the distress beacon weren't his own teammates. He then turned right back to Karma’s spot, which had a spiteful calling card indicating his target’s swift departure - the shot-down coffee cup with paper towels aerosol-sprayed black bunched over the front to simulate Chiba’s long, eye-covering bangs.

Terasaka and Ning both left the Second to advance into the Third. The Gang Leader reaches the right-side locker room, as instructed, and awaits Ning to come in as well to choose a locker to unlock. “<Ning? Where are ya?>” He asked on the phone after a couple of seconds.

The query would drown in the bustling of the station, as the planted, prepaid phone that Ning had been using for communicating with Team Kazuhiko had been left behind a pillar on the side of the tunnel. Ning himself had blended in further with the crowd long enough to double back to the port lockers and entered them. 

Ning wasted no time unlocking a random door, giving both his thumb and index finger for two biometric prompts and then a dial combination. The locker opened, and there was a small, plastic white box which he took and shut the door.

“<Nice try, Ning.>” Yada revealed herself from behind the corner of the locker row. Ning turned around only to find Kato blocking the other way. “<How nice of you to trust us just long enough to get you out of harm’s way. In the immediate sense, anyways.>” She chided.

“<Can you blame me? You clearly don’t hold all the cards against your enemies in this exchange.>” Ning defended his stance.

“<And you think you do?>” Kato tilted his head with perplexion all over his face.

Ning held up a hand and his mouth hung open for a moment as if to respond, but then sighed any further explanation away, focusing on the package. “<I was going to leave this, you know. I know if I had lost all of you people, you’d come back to my house eventually. And it would be where you put that phone in my backpack.>” He spoke of now-moot events.

“<Since you cannot prove that you weren’t instead going to leave us a bomb or another detrimental object of interest, you’re handing us that package now.>” Kato demanded.

Ning switched gaze to Yada, as if hoping for some more leniency.

“<In return, you’ll leave here safely.>” The CFO added on.

Ning sighed again and opened up the box, which had a letter. Ning then handed the envelope to Kato without a second thought.

The Chairman took it, inspecting the inside with his tactical lenses to find that there wasn’t anything inside with moving parts and other electronic assets. Thus, with a deep breath, he opened it, and what was inside... surprised even him. “<A playing card?>” Kato pulled it out and looked at it studiously.

The Courier quickly refocused. “<Your guess is as good as mine.>”

“<It certainly sounds like something the boss would leave behind.>” Yada remarked, taking up the letter while approaching her husband, inspecting the card closely.

Ning noticed Yada getting closer, making him refocus. “<Take it. And now you’ll get me out of here.>” He beseeched them.

Kato remained staring at him seemingly without empathy... Before suddenly grinning with acceptance. “<Of course.>” He concurred. “<Right this way.>” He held out his hand.

Ning followed the gesture. “<How will we do it?>” He asked back.

“<Take a look.>” Kazuhiko insisted he peek outside. 

Within the mob, the courier’s careful eyes could see a strangely familiar garb, adorning whom he doesn’t know to be Mimura. He only had to look down at his own attire to realize it is his own. And when a hat was put on that orange head, he then explored the back pocket of his sweats to be the same newsboy cap. “<This actually works?>” He curiously wondered.

“<You have no idea. Especially when there’s another three like that, and it’s only part one.>” Kato crossed his arms and answered. 

“<I don’t think I want to know part two...>” Ning whipped open the hat and put it on. “<See you out there. Or not.>” He saluted and departed.

_ You don’t think he’s actually going to go through the nearest exit, will he? Panicked and all? _ Kato politely inquired with his wife once he had left the locker room.

Yada looked to the ceiling for a moment before going back to her husband.  _ Probably.  _ She attempted to assure him as much as she could.

Ning kept pace with his section of the commuter swarm, discreetly looking around for a moment in the hopes of seeing some of his other pursuers.

It wasn’t going to matter though, for once he returned to the main lobby of Admiralty Station... Most of the ceiling windows shattered.

As an innumerable number of glass panels created an ear-piercing symphony of smashing (with the most harmful of the sharp shards landing in the same ramps nearby them), the public below went into a panic for what could only be perceived as a premeditated attack on a densely-populated location. Which means they were going to run. And they were going to crowd. And Ning, along with his lookalikes in the form of Mimura, Kimura, Terasaka, Okajima, and Sugino, was going to capitalize on that forced situation.

It would take a couple minutes, but Ning would safely exit the MRT station, safely inside a cell of scared civilians. He followed them as far as he felt - two blocks away from Admiralty - before he diverged into a more secluded alleyway. Practically nobody on Team Kazuchika were any the wiser, for despite many field members and point-people attempting to discern, the decoys did their job to steal their attention like proper red-herrings. Chiba naturally couldn’t get a good lock-on with his rifle either, with too many suspicious heads to sift through. 

The only one closest to Ning while he was still in the train commons, Kanzaki, immediately brought attention to herself when she abruptly cried out “KAMI SAYS HI!” Well, not her exactly, but a small speaker planted on the inside, back collar of her tee. The extremist-sounding saying had done the damage, though, as police who had already mobilized on the scene swarmed around her. A growing circle of distance from her and the other panicking civilians meant that there would be no getting out of this situation cleanly...

There was a similar fate lined up for the three Team Kazuchika members that were stuck with the train as it traveled to its next destination; more of Singapore’s police officers having closed off the area, and with their wanted fliers, knew to identify Hazama, Muramatsu, and Sosuke from the other passengers, and arrest them. 

The closest to re-engaging with Ning after leaving the centre would be Kurahashi, who slipped through the wider sections of the people escaping and by chance chose the right streets to cross. But even then a regained line-of-sight eluded her - due to Kato feigning as a drug addict who didn’t look past the corner of the sidewalk and bumping into her. As soon as they made distance, he then activated a remote switch, which caused a Pivoting Wire Wrest on the small of her back (planted there due to the aforementioned collision) to fire a titanium hook into a cab’s side of the trunk. The frightened driver naturally began driving as fast as he could, taking Kurahashi for a skate downtown, and out of the action.

Kato discarded his guise, met back up with Yada (who both shared a small grin at the final ruse), and proceeded down their path to rendezvous with Ning.

“<I really can’t get rid of you, can I Miss Yada?>” The Courier shook his head.

“<Now you can. It’s over.>” The CFO confirmed.

“<Well, not really. A lifetime of looking back. For real this time.>” Ning shook his head towards the sidewalk beneath him.

“<It’ll get easier.>” Kato checked his watch to obtain a timeframe. “<In a couple years.>”

“<You speak from experience. But also from youth. As if I have a couple of years still in me. But... You held your end of the bargain. So thanks.>” The Courier nodded while holding his cap. “<I hope what I’ve just done really helps to put this conspiracy to bed.>”

“<It will.>” Yada asserted. “<See you around.>”

He waved slowly and continued walking away.

Kato and Yada look on, pretty satisfied with another job well done.

KLACK.


	16. Dual Duels Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when everything seemed to finally go Team Kazuhiko's way for once in this exchange... There needs to be some sort of wrench thrown into their plans. But unlike the previous few times they've come up short, the particular wrench that is sabotaging their Singapore tasks is a little more, shall we say... Underhanded.
> 
> And unscrupulous. Almost as if it was completely over pettiness from affording an opponent even a small victory. 
> 
> And Kazuhiko Kato isn't quite pleased that it was thrown by this particular person.

With the cracking sound of bullet meeting bone reverberating across the vicinity, both Kazuhiko and Yada jumped with shock at the sudden resonance. They then could do nothing but watch as the exiting Ning stopped dead in his tracks... And promptly dropped dead, too. Blood flowed out of the back of his skull, as the ballistic didn’t leave through the other side and left the courier’s face intact. Subsequently, both AssUniv members could tell he (probably fortunately) expired before he landed chest-first.

Kazuhiko broke off from staring at the cadaver and looked around vigorously. He first attempted to search through the crowd for the odd man or woman out. But then he looked a little higher, checking out the vantage spots that would serve a lethal marksman well. And that was when he happened upon a fourth-floor double window for an unassuming condominium, with one section slightly ajar and the curtains forcibly drawn out of the way.

To further confirm that that was where the sniper took his crackshot, The Chairman then witnessed someone leaning on one of the connected walls to the building. As if they sensed being watched, they stood proper and stared at him back... Grinning.

Yada eventually noticed the man too. Recognizing what he was trying to do, she swiftly returned her attention to Kazuhiko.  _ No, Kato. Not now. We’ve got a job to do; there’s no time for these dangerous diversions. _ She attempted to defuse her husband’s intense thoughts.

But Kato wasn’t listening. An aura of aggression behind his exasperated face was enveloping him. One that he hadn’t drawn upon in such a way for the past seven long years. One that, seven long years ago, he hoped he’d never again have to draw upon.

Yada’s voice became more insistent.  _ Kazuhiko please. I understand you’re upset. But we can’t lose our heads. We can’t offer it to the enemy on a platter - then we’ve lost the re-! _

Again, it all fell on deaf ears. The Chairman sprinted towards the taunter’s direction. 

_ Damn it. Damn it! _ The CFO cursed, chasing after him. While keeping up, she pulled out an opaquely-blue plastic bag, threw the playing card (that was returned into a new envelope for safe, anonymous keeping), along with a modified lojack for later retrieval. She tied out the opening and tossed it behind an alley’s dumpster and pressed onwards.

Kazuchika naturally ran away from the ones seeking him, taking a mildly winding route through Singapore’s central districts. Kazuhiko and Yada matched all of his movements following him while surveying the grounds several steps ahead of them. Although, they were all ultimately unnecessary precautions as no traps seemed to have been planted in their way at all.

The three transitioned pretty quickly to the rooftops, as Kazuchika made a quick sheer climb up to the fourth-story canopy. He quickly forgoed sabotaging his path to the top when he was reminded of Team Kazuhiko’s EM-Traverse. 

Still keeping a constant lead even with his stiffer landings while clearing alley gaps, Kazuchika eventually leads them to one roof to a college campus’ gymnasium. Descending down to the ground floor and buying himself a couple seconds with a folding chair door prop, he then stopped dead in the middle of the basketball arena, far from the retracted sets of bleachers.

Kazuhiko and Yada soon joined him, kicking down the hinges of the door to get past the obstacle. It didn’t take much longer to meet up with him at the center.

“End of the road, Kazuchika.” Kazuhiko informed him, still with daggers shooting out of his eyes. “You broke a cardinal rule in this race, and you must pay for it.”

“I have no idea what you mean. Never knew there were even rules in a race like this, in fact.” He turned back towards them confidently.

“He was an innocent man named Ning. You don’t get to act like a sore-loser and take him out because we got to him first.” Yada, still a bit uneasy about deviating from their original objective, supported her husband’s stance with this statement.

“I’d say I saved him from a lifetime of looking behind his back. Whatever remained of his lifetime, of course. But that’s his fault for being invisible until now.” Kazuchika shrugged.

That was when Kazuhiko’s pupils dilated with fury completely. “That’s not the mindset of a Kato at all.” He growled.

“Is it? Actually, you’re right. The Kato’s mindset is more like a big smile on their face as a knife below is slowly shoved into their client. Wicked subtle like that.” Kazuchika agreed.

“Oh, this punishment is going to be anything but subtle, brother.” Kazuhiko whipped out a twenty-one-inch telescopic baton with a flashlight formed at the pommel.

“How very kinky of you. Maybe that Captain, Miho Akiyama, taught you all about that.” Kazuchika scoffed at the threat, retrieving from underneath one piece of loose stadium wood a nineteen-inch sheathed golok to match.

“Whoa whoa whoa, Kato. Are you sure?” Yada went in front of Kazuhiko in an attempt to mediate, as Kazuchika revealed the blade behind the scabbard.

But before The Chairman could answer, another stadium door opened up. The two from Team Kazuhiko looked over... And saw a powerfully-built, white-haired woman arrive on scene.

“You!” Yada angrily identified her instantly as the dastardly strong assailant who attacked the NTT Medical Center, targeting her younger brother Akihisa and snowballing the current crisis from then on.

The apparent mute pointed at herself jokingly.

The CFO formed her KAM AtTac gauntlets, greaves, Ballistic Shield in response, along with her usual two nightsticks. “Alright. Looks like there’s no going back.” She lamented.

“I’ll try to help you with that as fast as you can.” Kato asserted.

“Worry about yourself; I’ll be good.” Yada assured him, before walking closer towards her opponent, who, just like before, opted not to use any weapons. She was so confident in her own strength, in fact, that she directed where the duel would begin for them since the men would need their space, as she head-motioned towards the lobby outside the arena. Yada agreed. 

“Need to meditate on this encounter first?” Kazuchika tilted his head.

“Nothing more to contemplate.” Kato spun his baton around his thumb and over both sides of the hand in preparation.

“Pray then? Fang might just destroy her, despite my pleas otherwise.” Kazuchika shrugged while bringing up the girl-on-girl fight outside.

“I have faith.” Kazuhiko bounced back. 

“Hmm... Somehow I thought so. So let’s get it on.” Kazuchika held the short sword in reverse grip out towards his younger half-brother, challenging him to step forth.

Kazuhiko accepted with a walk forward, brandishing his blunt weapon like a hammer. When they met at the exact center, he struck first with a fast forehand swipe to the face, which Kazuchika pulled back from. Kazuhiko just as quickly came back with a backhand whack, this time with Kazuhika pushing it out of the way with a matching slashing movement with his blade. With the weapon out of the way, Kazuchika seized the moment with a repositioning of his grip of his sword to orthodox and returned with a backhand of his own. 

Kazuhiko ran forward with his head ducked to fly underneath the returning slash, delivering a left mule kick as he got behind his older half-brother. Said older brother anticipated it four steps ago and had a free hand to slap the ankle back down. Simultaneously, they both turn around with both of their weapons held like icepicks and lining their forearms as they dash in to clash perpendicularly - all with the combined, utmost fury one would expect two Katos in the same place to provide.

-Ryu Ga Gotoku VI’s OST “Bonds” plays.-

**加藤和彦VS加藤和親**

Kazuhiko Kato; Chairman of the Kato Alliance

VS

Kazuchika Kato; Field Captain of the Lost-Wing Angels

Kazuchika took the lead this time, using his free hand once again to push down his younger half-brother’s armed hand so that his golok had a clear path to the latter’s throat once again. The Chairman used his own free hand to push the weapon wrist up to avoid ducking a second time. The LWA Field-Captain refused to get discouraged, kicking Kazuhiko on the lower right thigh to lower his area of focus, so that the former could swivel his reverse sword grip and end up inside the blocking forearm space of the latter and stroke upwards. Kazuhiko couldn’t avoid the strike due to the earlier set-up, thus the best thing he could do is swiftly angle his arm to face the blade bone-first so that it made a superficial cut and not to a main vein. 

Kazuhiko naturally retreated with his new wound, with Kazuchika keeping the aggression amped to eleven and pursuing him with a Superman lunge. Kazuhiko saw it coming a mile away and side-strafed while dashing ahead with a body hook with his free hand... Whereas Kazuchika was sensing a head-concentrated reversal and had his free-hand block too high to match. The Chairman’s hand then loosened and snaked to the far hip, tugging back towards him so that Kazuchika forcibly spun to face him again, in time for a backhand swing coming for his cheek from the opposite way. 

Since spinning was fresh on the menu, Kazuchika gave his brother one in kind, pivoting sideways with his blade parallel to his height so that it blocked the backhand strike dead in its tracks. He continues turning to get a back elbow swing from his weapon arm. With his weapon arm still right behind his opponent, Kazuhiko could only get his free hand in the way to catch the sharp joint, stopping the attack dead.

But like many things, this was what Kazuchika had wanted all along. He then skipped in with a hook sweep on Kazuhiko’s leading ankle, intending on forcing the latter to stretch forward. The younger half-brother got his foot up to avoid the ankle attack, and loaded up for a side kick to the exposed ribcage. Kazuchika lifted up his front leg with a curving knee to deflect it (the distance created by the push kick also broke the clash between palm and elbow). Kazuhiko tried one more time for offense with a torso-level forehand swipe, which unfortunately was smacked down by a 12-6 hack by Kazuchika’s golok.

The two brothers slowly circled around the center, defending against stray one-two strikes from each other before closing the fray once more. Again, the elder Kato breached the intimate range with a waist-level stab. It was a bladed stroke that Kazuhiko had dodged a million times from weaker competitors, so leave it to a fellow Kato to make it near-impossible, via a push of the knee at its pommel to propel the golok at breakneck speed. Kazuhiko had to take a page out of Kazuchika’s book, switching hands and holding in reverse grip to closely-laminate his left waist while sliding right, with the sword just missing puncture and sliding along the baton until shoulder met shoulder and sword guard met nightstick handle.

Kazuhiko caught his older half-brother’s left hook with his right hand, and punished it... With a left instep stomp using his matching sole. The pain was superficial but it still greatly pissed off Kazuchika; eerily much like from their previous confrontation. He responds with a heel sweep and a shoulder nudge, disbalancing his younger half-brother and forcing him to step back, which naturally gave the former free control over his sword again.

He happily showed such freedom to move with another downwards slash, this time from a flying dash. Kazuhiko check-hooked it with a forehand whack as he slid past it, hitting Kazuchika on the shoulder as he dropped back down. Kazuhiko then twirled back with a low backhand swing that would’ve done serious damage to Kazuchika’s front ankle, but the latter saw it coming and lifted up the foot just in time. The Field Captain then perfectly blocked the Chairman’s feint-lunge into an overhead strike with a horizontal block. Surprised at the attack’s strength, though, Kazuchika then put up his free forearm on the spine of the golok to support.

Refusing to play the weaker man any longer, Kazuchika stiffened his arm muscles and leaned forward, eventually ending up with his golok on top of the collapsible baton, and tipping it over so that only the round, weighted tip stood between the golok and his younger brother’s neck. Seeing Kazuhiko’s own instep close, he opted to pay him back from a moment ago and attempted to stomp on it. He only meets the floor though, thanks to a quick repositioning.

Aggravated but not disheartened, Kazuchika went back upstairs and got his free arm around his younger half-brother’s nape and tried for a sideways guillotine, sword coming towards him to decapitate Kato. The latter managed to stop it dead with a Ballistic Shield being put past his matching shoulder, and with both of his opponent’s arms out and not guarding, Kazuhiko got his weapon arm around the close thigh and hoisted Kazuchika up for a swift Olympic Slam. Kazuchika barrel-rolled away from Kazuhiko upon impact with the hard stadium ground, as they both took a brief breather on one knee.

Meanwhile, Yada was unceremoniously tossed across a T-intersection of hallways, landing into a wall of lockers. She takes a knee but quickly gets back to proper standing upon seeing her powerful opponent approach. A right straight from Fang was in order, and upon sensing it, the CFO bobbed her head out of the way, allowing the clenched fist to smash into one of the metal doors, creating a small crater of a dent on it that even deformed the lock mechanism. 

Ducked down again, Yada opted for a pommel smash to the shin of Fang, which generated a rare grunt out of the otherwise mute assailant. With her stunned, the smaller woman capitalized, swiveling around the other and ramming her by the hip into the wall. With reduced room to move, the larger woman could not avoid facing several lashes across all of her joints, and two on her midsection before she began catching up in time to slow the contest down with a knee kick that brought Yada briefly back to a three-point stance. 

The CFO attempted to continue right where she left off, but an overhead whack meets only more metal as Fang side-steps out of the way. The latter attempts a right hook to Yada’s head, which was well-blocked with a raise of the Ballistic Shielded arm. A low kick to the calf compromised such defense, though, enough for the same right arm to weave behind it and snatch the back of the neck. 

Pulling the nape closer brought the chest closer to a raised right knee, that took a good portion of the air out of Yada, and left her mostly helpless to a noggin-knocker to the locker. The CFO is forced to make some space to regather her composure, which the other woman didn’t plan on giving for long. Yada sees a jab from the left hand incoming- to block it, she pulls out the damaged locker door from earlier.

The opening below allows the woman of Team Kazuhiko to witness a right leg come up for another roundhouse, this time to her hip, so she did her best to check it with a raised knee. It pushed her into the lockers again, but anticipation of such an event reduced the impact effectively, and kept the striking leg in a position to be punished with a Ballistic Shield edge lunge to the already traumatized shin. 

Fang made her vindictive frustration known when she ripped the door off of the hinges of the locker to see her foe again. Taking it into both hands she swung it wildly sideways to sandwich Yada’s head. Thankfully, the latter ducked underneath so that the sheet met several of its old cohorts instead. This time, when the CFO tried for a shield lunge to the lead leg, Fang finally caught on and pulled it back so that the former hit nothing but the ground.

Fang brought the door up high, ready to slam it down on top of Yada as if it was a steel chair from pro wrestling. The latter beat her to the punch, pinching the former on both sides with stereo forehand whacks to the hips, then to the inner thighs on the way back out. This did the trick, as Fang’s source of strength briefly escaped her and she dropped the door. Yada managed to avoid having it fall right on her head by putting up her shield and let it slide down at an angle harmlessly to her side. 

Yada then gave a couple of left-handed whacks to light up Fang’s cheek and guide her towards the open locker, with which she then stuffed the larger woman’s head into, disorienting her to another couple of weapon strikes on her upper body. The first time Fang started recovering, bringing her head out, Yada prodded it right back in with her nightstick’s pommel, then continued on the onslaught on the back. That was when Fang knew that to regain neutral ground, she needed Yada out of the way, and did so by catching the weight of the nightstick as it was about to come down on her next, and push it away, forcing Yada to roll back.

The ladies both took a moment, psyching each other out with their threatening gazes. After a couple seconds, Fang took the lead and tried for a massive clothesline. Yada naturally ducked underneath it, and put almost everything behind a hip-assisted leg sweep that pivoted the larger woman around and forced her to roll backwards in a new direction. Disoriented, Fang then fell victim to a front dropkick to the chest that pushed her through another door and into another room. Yada kipped back up to her feet and quickly followed her inside.

Back inside the basketball arena, Kazuhiko recovered first, walking with a slight stagger towards the still supine Kazuchika. But the latter quickly exploded back into action with a backhand sweep of his golok to slice at his younger half-brother’s shins. Kato slid back to avoid it, but not enough to avoid an immediate reprise when Kazuchika swung so hard that he spun and set up a similar cut. Having already stopped his lower leg’s muscles from dodging what initially was enough, Kato realized he couldn’t hit the gas on them again in time, so he pushed it all to his upper legs which would bring them behind the rest of his body, spread like a flying squirrel safely in the air. The motion’s momentum also made him glide back into a sprawled three-point landing with the third point being the tip of the baton.

But not for long, as Kazuchika was still right in front of him and after failing his second backhand horizontal swing, he opted for a forehand sweep, which broke the nightstick foundation and brought Kazuhiko onto the ground. The latter was wise to immediately get onto his back to be able to see his opponent, as it then gave him enough time to process a downwards stab that he put up his Ballistic Shield to deflect to the ground next to him. The Field Captain, undeterred by the foiled killing blow, then dropped a sliding left knee, seemingly intent on hitting the Chairman clean on the crown and heavily shaking the neck and vertebrae. 

Kazuhiko got his head out of the way to avoid that fate, but his left clavicle was struck in its place, and that obviously wasn’t so pretty. In fact, it resulted in a numb arm that couldn’t resist being pried down to the floor and kept there by a mounting of the same knee that damaged it. With only one working arm, it was much harder for the younger half-brother to defend against the sword strokes coming for his head and neck, prompting him to rely on perfect head movements. Kazuchika was able to penalize the first one when Kazuhiko bobbed his head to let an upwards slash slide just by his ear along the ground by hammer fisting the latter’s close cheek once it faced the ceiling. The Chairman recalibrated swiftly to neutralize that momentary disadvantage using his nightstick as a pushing offense to dissuade further punishes, such as when he brought his chin to his chest to avoid a similar slash in tandem with a backwards baton prod to Kazuchika’s chest, and then an overhead haymaker whack just after he brings his head towards his free arm’s tricep (resting it on Kazuchika’s mounting knee) to evade a 12-6 hack to the throat.

Kazuchika then attempted a sliding stab that was set to run through one of Kazuhiko’s ears and out the other. The younger half-brother bridged just high enough to get over the strike and then fell back to land his AtTac-armored back on top of the blade - needless to say, that golok was not going anywhere for a bit.

Kazuhiko knew that Kazuchika was not going to use his right hand, as it had to maintain a firm grip with the handle of his weapon or he might not ever reclaim it during the contest, meaning the odds were even... Except given his supine positioning compared to Kazuchika’s kneeling, Kazuhiko really had a two limbs advantage. And he proved it by first capturing his older half-brother’s attention up high with a couple of baton whacks, and then delivering a leg-lift kick with his left that clocked his older brother clean on the far temple. Clearly, Kazuchika only had a free arm to attack and defend with, since one arm was trapped and the legs needed to keep him stable. Whereas Kazuhiko’s position allowed both legs to play a part in addition to his weapon hand.

The Chairman immediately followed it up with grabbing a handful of brush-cut black hair with his weapon hand (which was still clutching the baton between palm and strands) and pulled it into a raised right knee, striking square on the forehead. This broke the Field Captain’s stance, who straightened himself up to regain proper footing (the upwards momentum gets his sword out from underneath Kazuhiko, who wasn’t keen on remaining lying down anyways and joined him on his own two feet). 

Once his head cleared up, Kazuchika pumped newfound resolve through his blood and changed his ready form from reverse-grip CQC to a guarded waki-tori stance. Kazuhiko noticed the change before getting into serrada stance with his nightstick and approached. The Chairman could see the other ready up another one of their strokes, but given its lower arrangement than before felt he could see it coming, so he committed to his flying overhead. Lo and behold, he indeed saw it. And it forced him to bring up the shield, because he couldn’t evade.

Kazuchika’s sword pointed skyward, which was practically the opposite of the end position anticipated by Kazuhiko. As the latter discerned, the free arm floating above the golok perfectly masked the movements of the weapon arm, such that Kazuhiko had less than half a second to see that the predicted overhead was mixed up into an uppercut.

Kazuchika smirked for a moment and then pressed this time, again tricking his younger half-brother into protecting the crown when he raised his golok above his free hand, only to stop midway and go for the head stab instead. A bob of the head in the nick of time saved Kazuchika’s eye, sacrificing an unblemished cheek as a consequence. Because the free arm was further out too, it could beat Kazuhiko’s own arms to the punch. Such was the case when he saw that Kazuhiko again trapped the passing weapon wrist into his curled free arm and shoulder and intended to strike with his baton overhead to the forehead. Kazuchika’s free hand diverted its course, saving him the work of stopping it, and pulled it down himself so that his younger half-brother’s chin came into his pitching headbutt.

Now with Kazuhiko stunned, Kazuchika seized the opportunity with a body blow that bent the former forward. The elder brother then floated over the younger’s back to bring him to the far side, changing the CQC situation dramatically. Kazuchika grabbed his other forearm, and freed it with a modified arm wringer that somersaulted Kazuhiko again onto the floor; Kazuhiko managed to keep his weapon in his hand, but it was still a hard crash. 

Kazuchika fell in with a 12-6 slash, but met the stadium floor again when Kazuhiko shifted right. This led to both brothers lying on the ground with minimal distance from their shoulders. The former dissuaded the latter from promptly rising up by slashing forehand-horizontally at knee level, but a Keysi block with the Ballistic Shield nullified that. Kazuhiko attempted to attack around the clash to hit his older half-brother’s face, but Kazuchika deflected it with his sword via a bend of his arm upwards and hacking it back down. The motions brought Kazuchika’s shoulder close to Kazuhiko’s, and with a strong check, Kazuhiko was knocked over, though he swiftly recovered to three-point stance. 

Kato correctly surmises this time that the golok was going to be brought high and got his baton up to stop it up there, and with arms raised a shield-assisted punch to the midsection would rattle things up. Kazuchika saw this coming, however, and spun around to catch it with his free hand, breaking the midair clash and elbow-swinging Kazuhiko in the nose with the weapon arm. He then positioned the blade along Kazuhiko’s forearm and carved at it upwards in reverse-grip until the Ballistic Shield’s connection to the bracer was sliced off; the protective, transparent material appropriately fell to the floor and was stomp-slid away.

Kazuchika raised a back elbow to clock Kazuhiko again in the chin and knocked him back to make room for another mystery slash. The latter was getting into the groove, however, and concentrated not on the weapon arm, but the guarding arm, as it provided the subtlest tell of the true movement before the sword could be seen again. Thus, the Chairman knew to block left with his baton when he saw the traditional wind-up horizontal backhand switch to forehand. 

With a perfect downwards parry, Kazuhiko tried for the spinning heel sweep, but Kazuchika backed up to avoid it. The latter tried another mix-up, raising his sword so that the tip passed his left shoulder in front for a static backhand slash, wherein it then looped over his head for a forehand haymaker slash - one with too much strength for Kazuhiko to absorb like last time... If the blade again struck him. Which was why he took that out of the equation - A dash forward to Keysi blocked the attacking arm instead, which lacked such leverage.

Kazuchika expected a baton whack up high and got his own guard up, only to be met with yet another instep stomp. Extremely angered now, Kazuchika violently pulled back his golok, causing the blade to slice his younger half-brother’s shoulder as it passed by. The motion spun Kato as he again went low, and his weapon arm hoisted his older half-brother’s left leg up for the backwards single-leg takedown (which also neutralized Kazuchika’s latest attempt with a backpedaling 12-6 slash).

His opponent now on his back, Kazuhiko spun around the raised left leg to get into the side mount and immediately seized control of the sword arm by the wrist, keeping it down to prevent any stray strokes. When Kazuchika tried squirming to make room and break out from underneath, Kazuhiko delivered a couple of knee lifts to the hip and upper arm trapped in the mount. Kazuchika didn’t mind giving a couple knees of his own, finding that he could lift his left shoulder to bring his kin into position. Finding himself unable to wrest the sharp weapon free from Kazuchika’s grasp, Kazuhiko opted for two sliding hammer fists, though the sturdier pommel of his baton replaced the actual hand. By the end of the second stroke, Kazuchika’s mouth began bleeding a small, but steady stream and he had enough, pressing up for one more knee, that hit Kazuhiko on the temple. 

Kazuchika tossed Kaszuhiko like an unrefined sack of potatoes over, finally getting out from the bottom. Kazuhiko though recovered in time to begin barrel-rolling away from a string of downward swings that would’ve cleaved him like as if he was a frozen corpse at a meat packaging factory. After the fourth smash, Kazuhiko stopped and side-kicked from his supine position to stop Kazuchika’s momentum and giving him freedom to stand back up.

The room that Yada had sent Fang into turned out to be an agents conference room with a large business table at its center. For now the fight stayed at the walls, as Yada got hoisted up in a spinebuster lift and slammed into the adjacent side of the door they both came through. Fang forced the CFO to sit on top of a small trophy display counter as she then took her by the hair and slammed the connected head repeatedly into the brick. After the first time, Yada made sure to get one of her arms behind her head to reduce the impact, prompting Fang to take a step back and go for a big boot to the face. Yada got her head out of the way just in time, and took just a moment to witness the crater produced by the impact on the surface behind her. 

After she finished gawking, she performed a seated downwards-kick that struck Fang’s... vulnerable area below the belt. This again made a noticeable reaction from the implacable woman, who staggered back, permitting Yada to descend back to the ground safely. A Dempsey Roll helped the CFO avoid two hooks from alternating arms, as she delivered a forehand from her baton in kind as she reached the apex of each infinity-motion. Fang broke the chain with a daring headbutt that slowed down her target for a powerful right H-bomb that could make Dan Henderson clap with satisfaction.

Yada got the shield up and clenched the Keysi guard as well as she could for the coming strike. The Ballistic Shield as a matter of fact dented with a small crack at the center and pushed Yada enough for her to tap the wall again. As she returned to the fray, Fang pulled the protective weapon down to get a clean side kick to the CFO’s shoulder. This time, Yada hit the vertical surface with a more-damaging collision.

The second time Yada bounced back into the action, Fang tried for the lariat to take her head off. But Yada floated underneath it, backflipping around the arm to initiate a standing shoulder and elbow lock that forced Fang briefly to bow on one knee. The nape exposed, Yada struck with all of her might with the right baton. Three clean hits drew small trickles of blood that scattered over Fang’s hair; the white coloring made the crimson much more apparent.

But the assailant showed no concern over it unless rage counted. She pressed her arm back down, despite Yada’s leverage advantage, and then hoisted her up in a waist-lifting spinebuster position. She chose the nearby conference table as the new slamming spot, dropping her back-first into the rounded-rectangle mahogany. After a couple of hammer fists, Fang noticed a table-mounted stand resting a sharp-looking pen. She pulled it out to confirm it to be a finely-crafted quill, which she opted to jab into Yada’s face. 

The CFO managed to miraculously x-block it from piercing her eye, with the deciding factor being a push-kick that kept Fang from getting closer to apply the utmost pressure. Just as the latter was about to shift past her legs, Yada pulled out another Wire Wrest, quickly uncoiling the cable and wrapped it around Fang’s wrist and then firing a titanium hook into the ceiling. Fang got Yada in a one-handed choke that sapped the latter’s strength and a quick lift of the pen signaled the former’s intended coup de grace... Except she couldn’t bring it down again.

Fang looked up, realizing that the Wire Wrest had wrapped around the steel fan spinning above, and was pulling back her trapped arm. Fang had an easy enough time pulling with both arms to break the fan and free herself, but that bought Yada enough time to roundhouse kick the writing utensil out of the larger woman’s hands, and spin off the table and onto her feet. 

Yada tried another Dempsey Roll of alternating feints and swings, but Fang again neutralized it, this time with a sumo push that sent her again into a wall. The fallen ceiling fan, which landed further down the mahogany table was taken by the larger woman and chucked at Yada, who just managed to get out of the way, allowing it to crumble against the vertical surface.

Both Katos were seen sliding past each other, having made metal sparks with matching baton and golok strokes before turning to face each other again. After a high-low exchange, Kazuchika saw that Kazuhiko had gotten his leading foot up for another stomp for his own foot. Not dealing with that again, Kazuchika swung low with his sword, getting to slice off the appendage as it came down. But it never did.

Another feint by Kazuhiko, who angled it for a side kick that was just guarded by Kazuchika’s free arm. He then flew in with a high knee to the chest while Kazuchika’s shoulder was overturned, not permitting his sword to get in the way. As the Chairman dropped back down he delivered the intended stomp, without Kazuchika being able to defend again.

Beyond livid, Kazuchika shut down his younger half-brother’s upcoming backhand strike with the nightstick, keeping his arms crossed at the midsection so that he can freely give him a headbutt to the nose. Kazuhiko backed up and ducked underneath a forehand diagonally-down slash, only to see Kazuchika seamlessly switch hands and went southpaw with the sword. His right hand went towards the end of the reverse-blade and Kazuhiko frantically knew what was coming - a waist-level stab to his lowered face!

The Chairman held his baton in a similar way and used it to deflect it outside his right shoulder. The Field Captain brought the sword up just as quickly as the former stood proper and went for the left-forehand head skewer again. Kato again parried it, this time to go beyond his left side, which set up another backhand strike, heading for the eyes. But Kazuchika blocked it... Using the handle of his golok that remained beyond the bottom of his hand!

Kazuchika right hook-punched at the exposed, close ribcage, which also pushed his younger half-brother into a left roundhouse kick to the solar plexus. Kazuhiko was lifted off his feet, suddenly lacking sufficient air from the one-two of body blows. The Field Captain capitalizes with a low roundhouse that bruises the left shin and wobbles the Chairman. Kazuchika switches his southpaw tachi no tori stance to a southpaw gasumi, making a retreating Kazuhiko to believe a diagonally downwards slash was coming. It was another mixup, as Kazuchika transitioned hand-positioning yet again, holding the sword in a relaxed kamae at his left hip and sliced diagonally upwards. Kazuhiko got his body out of the way right on time, but his posture broke when the baton absorbed that power strike.

Yada sidestepped another of Fang’s attacks, this time a flying meteora when she jumped up on top of the conference table for extra air. She landed knee-first into the wall, but looked none the worse for wear as she dropped back to her feet to continue the contest. Yada continued backing back up steadily until her larger opponent threw a push kick, in which she spun past and switched around until she was right behind the whitehead. 

Her left arm hooked around Fang’s neck while a right foot pressed down on her popliteal to force a kneel, using the Ballistic Shield extension for extra compression on the larynx. Once this was successful, Yada’s hammer fists with the bottom of the baton would reach maximum effect on the top of Fang’s head. All three of them, before Fang pulled Yada in for a backpack carry and slammed her into the edge of the table, lumbar-first. 

Temporary nerve damage settled in for Yada, who could not maintain her hold around Fang’s neck. Thus, the assailant could easily turn it around and hoist the CFO back onto the hardwood surface, forcibly prone. Yada screamed in pain as Fang exasperated the new weakness, rubbing the edge of her elbow on the small of her back. Yada was able to retaliate with one last backhand strike with her right-handed baton to the chin, but Fang came back into the fray and caught her attempt at a returning forehand, seizing the weapon briefly for herself and delivering a forehand swipe of her own. Yada’s left nightstick could not get in between in time - she eats the weighted tip full-force, and her only remaining armament flies the opposite way from the impact.

Fang tosses the blunt weapon to the ground as she approaches a mostly-motionless Yada. After a few seconds gawking, she then gives the CFO a hair pull and shove into the mahogany, making a stiff impact to her nape, which only made Yada even more immobile.

Kazuhiko’s baton was too high up to block a second time after the uppercutting strike from earlier, leading to a southpaw, horizontal backhand to the stomach, which digs roughly a centimeter deep across the midsection; The Chairman was only spared a full disemboweling thanks to a pull back. Kazuhiko clutched the bleeding wound as Kazuchika leered at him, whipping the small spread of blood off of the golok. Kazuhiko shook off the damage and stood proper with his baton raised... Which Kazuchika could do nothing but scoff at. He then adopted the in no kamae position, sword held perfectly vertical, and he dashed in with blistering velocity.

The Chairman knew that the perfect forehand slash was coming, and wound up an inside stroke of his own. But anticipation did nothing to change the result - the horizontal collision was a clear winner for the sword, which almost perfectly cleaved through the nightstick. It was the nightmarish blend of Kazuchika’s forward momentum, flawless hand speed, and flawless placement of the golok’s sweet spot, that owed to such amazing strength behind the motion. The only victory afforded to Kazuhiko was another pull-back as he attacked, which allowed him to avoid the heavy tip. 

Kazuhiko pivoted away from his older half-brother being hit again, kneeling and noticing his shattered weapon. Kazuchika walked up to his lowered back, knowing he had won with that final exchange. After a couple of moments, he then brought his mouth close to Kazuhiko’s left ear, knowing that his younger sibling was not going to punish it.

“Your bloodlust...” He reflected on Kazuhiko’s aggression from earlier. “You cannot hope to defeat me with such puny pugnacity. My fire against you has burned so much brighter...” He rose up to proper standing. “For so much longer.” He then rammed the pommel of the golok into the back of his sibling’s head, finally putting the latter to rest. It wasn’t so much the flawless battle that he had implied, as Kazuchika twisted his waist once he could relax; his body definitely felt the many blunt blows he had received.

The stadium doors opened once more. Kazuchika observed that Fang had returned, carrying Yada on one shoulder. The larger woman then tossed the CFO off of her so that she would land and roll close to her unconscious husband. 

After grimacing from the falling impact, she did get to open her eyes and notice his prone, motionless form. “Kato...” She reached out for his face with a weak arm, before feeling the onset of pain catching up to her, and she too faded out next to him.

Kazuchika and Fang stood over their defeated opponents, double-taking between them and each other, then nodding as their next task was upon them.


	17. Energy For Backstories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The double duels from last chapter sure could've gone better...
> 
> Kato and Yada, defeated by Kazuchika and Fang, are taken into LWA custody. Where specifically? No clue by their perspective. And there will be no time to find out while locked up. The chains certainly don't help, but the words of their fearsome opponents (and meeting one of those said opponents for the first time in person) are what's really going to bog them down.
> 
> Still, this can't be how it ends. It won't be.

“Dajia hao, ta xingle.”

“Zhen de ma?”

“Shi de, ta shi na zenme yang.”

After an unknown amount of time from his perspective, Kazuhiko stirred awake from his blunt force-induced sleep, attempting to concentrate his eyes and ears again. When his senses finally returned, he could discern the nearby voices to be speaking in a certain Chinese dialect.

And the bodies that the voices belonged to were upside down, according to his view.

“<Had a good rest, pipsqueak?>” One of the presumed-LWA agents came up to him, bowed forward and twisted his head to look the Yakuza Chairman in the eyes proper. The latter was chained by the ankles with titanium links embedded into the high ceiling of an apparently long-abandoned prison compound; his arms wrapped behind his back in almost a shibari tying using smaller-linked chains. 

“<You’ve only yourself to blame - your dumb ass and idiot wife thought you could hold your own against our boss and superior.>” Another grunt further away taunted at him.

The sentence sparked a piercing thought in Kazuhiko’s mind as he then began focusing on the faint sounds of a defiant struggle. He looked towards its source to find Yada, right-side-up from his perspective. In addition to her own bindings matching his, she also had a tight cleave gag wrapped across the edges of her mouth, which attributed to the muffled nature of her cries. Her eyes too spoke of something worth interjecting about, as the whites were extra shiny from held-back tears and the pupils were slowly but surely regrowing from dilating.

“<She was being a yeller. We would tell you why, but we think you’ll know it once we just say something should not be feeling right right about now.>” The first merc informed him.

That too brought a striking idea into the Chairman’s mind, as his mouth and manhood delivered some noticeably painful signals in a rather-uncommon area. “Rather barbaric for an organization that seeks to rid the world of another deemed-autocrat’s practices.” He remarked. “And if your bosses are so powerful, why aren’t they unwaveringly standing before weak, restrained ol’ me?” He wondered.

“Alright, bring them up higher.” Another, more familiar voice ordered. The first LWA operative looked back to identify that Kazuchika had come in, with Fang in close tow. The former saluted and alongside a colleague on the other side rolled a crank to bring both CEO and CFO up so that they were face-level with Kazuchika once he was just four feet away. “Good; keep them there.” He advised, to which the two complied. 

Kazuhiko still had ample amounts of aggression in his eyes as he stared back at Kazuchika, though Yada was far more livid with Fang.

“My grandfather’s dog tags...” He noticed the family keepsake adorning his older half-brother’s neck and clavicles.

“I earned them in fair combat. I am the firstborn, after all.” Kazuchika looked down and held up the two modern cartouches. He then put them behind his shirt. “Though honestly, you and your wife’s guns are a far more glamorous prize.” He slapped the backpack behind him, which made a metal-on-metal sound inside. “So... How about this?” Kazuchika held his hands out in a showy manner. “Truth be told, little brother, the idea of having Fang literally busting your balls while biting down playfully on your tongue simulating an otherwise-intimate act did not come from my little brainchild.” He admitted.

Fang suggestively wiped her hand across her lips and batted eyelashes ironically at Kazuhiko, much to Yada’s vocal frustration.

“Oh? I imagine you’d say the same regarding the courier’s untimely demise.” Kazuhiko declared with abject refusal of the weight behind the confession.

“But like that, it was only fair, for it was a watered-down recreation of the terrible deed Kazuo Kato had done so many decades ago. Only fair such a reprisal gets a little... Unrefined after so long, shall we say?” The Field Captain tilted his head and asked curiously.

Kazuhiko slit his eyes in confusion. “First Kazuto, now you bring up Kazuo? What the Hell are you even talking about?” He wondered.

“Ohohoh, of course you don’t know.” A new voice disappointingly sighed, debuting from the same entrance as Kazuchika and Fang. It was the old Harbinger of the Lost-Wing Angels. In the actual flesh this time!

“Neito, I told you I can handle this.” Kazuchika turned to face his superior. 

“I know you can. But I sure as Hell want to handle this a bit too. So step back.” Neito approached as fast as he could on his cane. It fatigued the much-older man, but there was no way that was going to discourage a lifelong visionary like him. “Kazuhiko... It’s crazy how much you don’t know jack-shit about your family. Especially the bad parts. Which was why I took great pleasure in unleashing Fang on you, and not letting you know until we implied it to you, so you’ll have a preview of how much pain for you it’s going to be when I tell you all about your ancestors.” He explained.

Yada vehemently stared at Neito for the last statement.

Neito gave her a penance gaze just as damning. “Don’t look at me like that, madam. Fang just has that natural impulse to prey upon any man thinking he’s always in control. You want to be the one who says ‘no’ to her? And her many-inch pythons?” He shook his head and refocused. “Anyways, Kato, allow me to drop an A-bomb on you. It was 1945...” He recounted.

_ Your grandfather, Kazuo Kato, at this point, was firmly a defector for the Allies and with his knowledge of his homeland’s geography, tactics, and ideology, was able to lead them to a secured victory in World War II. Of course, you know he did this because he had received word of the Manhattan Project. What they could do with the weapon they would develop, was something Kazuto could never hope to imagine being used on his precious home. He also knew nobody at HQ would believe him, so he and his regiment broke off, doing their best to make sure as few of these WMDs could fall as possible. _

_ Among the individuals in your grandfather’s squad was a Corporal by the name of Shigeru Shirai - my father. Along with being uncomfortable with the idea that radioactive weapons would be used on his home, he also made the switch in the hopes that he could get a leg-up on the new infrastructure that was to come once the unconditional surrender was obtained and the global conflict concluded.  _

_ After all, practically everyone who got into the war had something they had to put aside so that they could fight - Allies or Axis alike. For Shigeru, it was his business in steel production. Shirai Steel, one of the venerable zaibatsus that began with my father’s great-grandfather a decade before the turn of the twentieth century. Shigeru imagined that his steadfast loyalty and contribution to the West’s cause would ensure a significant boost to his strong conglomerate. But all he would receive was ruination. _

_ A free-world economy had come to the island nation’s shores, as Kazuo imagined and hyped up beyond all reason. Your grandfather spoke only of its benefits - hungry international customers, government contracts, freedom of diversification for product and service - which paled in comparison to its detriments. The Allies sought public control of the zaibatsus. The ones that remained, anyways - Damage from the atomic bombs obviously saw to the bankruptcy of a great number of them along the way! Not only that, but then it was required by them that the zaibatsus would be downsized and divided into multiple, independent businesses for each industry they were involved in. Can you believe that, Kato? Foreigners who know little of our ways, telling us to break down everything that our forefathers had built up from practically nothing? Use our control to... Sever that very control? _

_ Naturally, when Shigeru grew wise to all of this, he began having a change of heart. He turned to Kazuo for aid, who admittedly was upset about the development. Fat lot of good that did though. A cheap attempt at justifying the old business practice was made - zaibatsus being good for the country’s economy, and the attempt to dissolve them would leave an unnecessarily divided focus from the ongoing Communist battle. It fell on deaf ears, and after that, Kazuo told my father these armor-piercing words: _

_ “Suck it up.” _

_ With an ironclad ultimatum on one side and a useless doormat of a friend on the other, it was clear in hindsight what was going to happen if Shigeru kept refusing to cut down the firm, which is exactly what he did. One month after the first declaration, the remaining three, fully-functional factories of Shirai Steel suffered decimating fires and explosions within a day of each other. National news would state that their investigations deduced the origins of such incidents are from accidents caused by human error from its laborers... But we all knew deep inside it was actually intentional sabotage from the foreigners.  _

_ Without any way to keep production, Shirai Steel met its end and folded. Shigeru never put the blame on the outside world, though... He saved it all for their endorser, the one who promised him everything would be well, Kazuo. He might not have taken part in the actual destruction of the business, but for sure he was aware it was going to happen. And he didn’t tell his brother shit about it. Well... they were brothers no more after that.  _

_ I was born in the mid nineteen-fifties, to an above-average household, little the wiser to this crazily cruel story. Not until I was sixteen when I found out that I wasn’t going to take control of what my father was brewing up all his life to hand to me. Hmm... Everything was good, we didn’t need anything... But I never got the thought out of my head that the reason my family wasn’t doing great was not from our own indecisions, but from someone else. That was when I devoted myself to ruining the Katos. _

_ Kazuo at that point had his own kid - Kazuto. Just a couple years younger than I. By the time I was going to enact my schemes, he would be on top of the Kato Family, not Kazuo, so now I knew who I wanted to be in every way superior to. Coming back from Thailand to take over, I was one of the first to join up with his own cause - an extension to the Kato Family known as the Lost-Wing Angels. It was the perfect physical goal; what better to stick it to vain, arrogant, and petty Kato then to besmirch the zenith of his incorruptible ambition?  _

_ Your and Kazuchika’s father did make things interesting, but by the end of the eighties, I had wrested full control of the secret syndicate. And as part of the future-endeavors trial, Kazuto’s memory of the past events that involved the LWA was wiped. This made it so that all of the sadness that came from our war would remain in Kazuto, with no clear reason why. That was when I found out that the perfect goal could be even better - spoon-feeding Kazuto his worst memories, in the smallest, most painful doses spread across the next decades.  _

_ But it wasn’t much longer before I realized that there was one memory I couldn’t give back to him. Upon first sitting in his master study, I happened upon an old, dusty manilla folder on the bottom of a drawer. Opening it revealed the specifications and designs for the FATE Enterprise. Kazuto’s ultimate reset button. The ability to destroy any and all civilizations when it becomes clear that the pain from its alternative is far too great to allow... _

Neito cackled for a moment. “He never used it, of course. But the mere fact that he had invented such a concept, and brought it to fruition here on this Earth is already enough to damn him to all eternity in Hell. So make no mistake, Kazuhiko. This isn’t my beast - I’m just finishing what your father started.”

“First off, Neito - you’re mad for thinking my father actually made that terrible thing. Kazuto never threatened grand-scale operations before - that’s why he always said no to firebombing in Thailand - you would know that if you read all the files. Just like how you’d know he didn’t try to eradicate the Shinsuke and the Shiohara family by blowing up their embassy outside Kyoto, despite them winning the arms market from...” Kazuhiko quickly noticed he cannot keep track of the years without his watch. “...Years ago.”

“My God, that is so cute.” Kazuchika crossed his arms upon observing the awkward hesitation his younger half-brother gets without a sense of time.

“And second, Neito, you said it yourself - you only have yourself to blame for making it impossible for you to get to the FATE Enterprise. What makes you so much better than petty, old Kazuto when you erased his memories just to prolong his suffering? You must admit that was your only reason to do that. And I’m guessing you never got Kazuto around to confess its location to you, because the world’s still standing. So you damned yourself again for wasting so many years trying to come up with the perfect scheme that will make him say what you sought above all to know, only for Kazuto to die under your watch! And that failure is devouring you!” Kazuhiko pointed out the cracks. 

Neito angrily jabbed the bottom end of his cane into Kazuhiko’s stomach, drawing a small grimace from the Chairman. 

Kazuchika was not without his own conflicts, noticing some validity in the statement made by his kin towards his father figure.

Once the younger Kato settled back into steady hanging, the oldest man in the room calmed himself down with long breaths and refocused. “You’re almost right, Kazuhiko. Just like your father; scratches the surface, digs through the tissue, but just can’t close the cut on his own. I almost - and I say ‘ALMOST’ - locked myself from receiving the ultraweapon. But fortune smiled upon me, when I met my surrogate son, Kazuchika.” He motioned over to his protege.

Kazuchika chuckled a bit before stepping forth and taking his turn. “At the time, though, my name was simply Niran...” He started.

_ In a modest home in the heart of Nonthaburi’s suburbs, I lived with my mother. Like Neito, however, I always had an idea of what our lives would’ve been like if my father was involved differently. If he had brought us to Japan, sent back money and supplies, Hell, even visited annually... But he never kept his promise to my mother at the end of the Insurgency. He did what all other foreign soldiers did - take what they wanted, gave nothing back, and marched off, never to be seen again. Therein lies the roots for my own revenge. _

_ My mother eventually passed away when I was thirteen. It was quiet and peaceful, in her sleep; if I recall correctly, lung cancer finally did her in. Nothing was left for me in the regular world, so I set off to understand the underworld, which I knew Kazuto was a big part of. What followed was over ten years of criminal experience with many of the major crime syndicates across the globe - Triads, States Mob, Taray, Milieu - before I finally stepped foot in Japan in 2008. But we all know by that time, Kazuto Kato had been assassinated in Fukuoka by someone contracted by the Shiohara Family.  _

_ This left me more... Despondent than I’d like to admit. A decade plotting vengeance, and it too was taken from my grasp. I lashed out at any Yakuza I could find at that point, forcing them to tell me the whereabouts of any and all Shiohara thugs. And day in, day out for four straight days, I toppled all of their immediate dens, put them on the rebound for a good amount of time. Until I just couldn’t keep going anymore, and rested underneath Rainbow Bridge. _

_ When I woke up, I first met Neito... Through a radio held by one of his men, like yourself. He had been keeping track of my exploits against the Yakuza, having been monitoring the Shioharas for some time himself, and was impressed by my passionate and poiseful display of technique. It was that mix that helped him discern that I was Kazuto’s son, adding in my birthdate, ethnicity, and a blood test cross-checked with the older Kato’s archived vitals. _

_ Neito was keen on taking me out for this revelation of lineage, but when he explained this to me, he saw only agreement with it, which confused him. I then spoke my stance, and thus our spirits became obviously kindred. He took me in, giving me my new name - Kazuchika, the harmonious superior - to mock the theme of the Katos, instructed me on the past of my family, and trained me in the LWA ways.  _

Kazuchika sighed as he finished the reminiscence, about to speak about recent circumstances. But then Neito hobbled forth again, interrupting the former.

“The end-goal remained much the same for the both of us - find the FATE Enterprise. Kazuchika didn’t have that knowledge, though; he didn’t even know who his father truly was until we met, after all. But we weren’t directionless for too long after we met.” The old Harbinger then nodded to Kazuchika, who then produced a plastic bag. Inside was an old voice recorder, which the Field Captain played.

“Greetings, son.” Kazuto as a disembodied voice spoke out of the speakers. “Yes, this is your father, Kazuto Kato. I’m dreadfully sorry I couldn’t come to see you in person after all these years. I would do anything to be able to make it up to you.” He added on.

Neito and Kazuchika both rolled their eyes at the seemingly half-assed apology.

“But right now, all I can do for you is give you and your mother a new start. With another who might just share in all of your ideals, and all of your interests. “Son, there is another of my sons in Japan. By the name of Kazuhiko Kato. I would like for you to meet with him one day. He is a good person, who understands loyalty, compassion, and decisiveness. I’m sure he can give you and your mother the familial love to make up for what I couldn’t. There’s just one last thing for you to do... Goodbye.” The recording ended.

“That bred new hope in the both of us - someone who could turn over the right stones that we could never find in order to get the ball rolling and making the ultraweapon discoverable again. We just needed to find this person.” Neito noted.

“One thing you did right, Kazuhiko, was that you knew how to stay undiscovered if you wanted to. Until you actually stepped forth in 2018, we only had passing ideas of who you really were within the Kato Family.” Kazuchika noted.

“But revealing yourself was your fatal mistake, which you should’ve known.” Neito quickly dismissed the previous point, waving down at Kazuchika. “And now that a face and a name were known, we stopped at nothing for the next five years to learn all that we needed to figure out how you fight. And counter it.” He declared.

“Wow...” Kato looked between the two with wide eyes... Then cracked up.

Neito again grimaced at the disrespectful display. “Wipe that stupid grin off your face!” He raised his cane again to hit his nemesis’ progeny.

“Oh, hold it! I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it. Quite honestly, Neito, you sound pretty dumb to me. To stick it to your greatest enemy, you take one of his sons to go and hunt the other? Gee, I wonder just what could happen! Oh that’s right - pretty much anything, because you know a Kato is capable of pretty much anything once their mind is made!” The Chairman argued.

Neito did not relent this time, smacking Kato in the cheek with the handle of his walking stick. “You should really shut up about shit you know nothing about. Another bad habit you’ve picked up from your father.” He grumbled.

“Oof... You really believe in discipline, huh Neito?” Kazuhiko shook off the latest attack. “Rather inconsistently, I’d say though. That’s a fatal error, isn’t it? To be inconsistent when factory-resetting the world? Say, why doesn’t Kazuchika have any disciplinary scars? He’s not exactly been playing the perfect battle against me. Given his mentor though, I can totally see why...” The CEO smirked again.

“Fang, tell me, does he look high to you?” Neito turned to his third in command, who shook her head. “No? I didn’t think so. Guess he’s crazy then! Where’d you get that idea, huh Kazuhiko? Kazuchika’s had your number every single time so far!” He bounced back.

Kazuhiko expressed initial confusion (as did Yada), who glanced at his elder half-brother for a moment - he slyly looked away upon eye-contact. “Hmm... Well if we’re all pouring our hearts out today, I haven’t been seeing that too much, honestly.” He responded abruptly, in a manner as if he had turned away from discussing another matter entirely.

“If that wasn’t an admission of insanity, I wouldn’t know what is.” Neito turned away with a victorious back-showing, unaware of the setbacks from before.

“Neito, since we’ve had my brother caught up on what happened in the past, how about we focus on the present?” Kazuchika suggested.

“Oh?” The Harbinger turned back around to his second. “Why not?” He looked to the suspended brother. “It must be pretty strange to have someone solve clues in front of you as opposed to the other way around, hm?” He pondered.

“Fang, the envelope?” Kazuchika nodded, then looked to the mute woman, who produced the clue from the inside of her denim jacket. He then noticed Yada’s wide-eyed surprise. “Don’t be so alarmed - after previous situations, you shouldn’t be surprised I piggybacked the pinging signal on your lojack with the artifact.” He reasoned while taking the clue into his hands. “Now then...” He opened up the bag, then the paper casing to find the poker card. “A red queen of spades playing card...” He bent it, sniffed it, and ran a special marker on it. “Quality gaming plastic... No uncommon coating chemicals, and no written message on it that we don’t already see.” He analyzed. “Speaking of, the characters are entirely simplified Chinese. But they’re pretty stock meanings - ‘Entertainer, Performer.’” He examined further.

Kazuhiko could be seen licking his top front teeth behind his lips. Yada noticed it as one of his tics in which he does his best not to tell of something and reminds him with just a quick, widening stare to try harder.

“Allow me to take a look.” Neito held out his hand to accept the poker card. A quick look at the card made his eyes squint, after which he double-took between it and a confused Kazuchika three times before speaking again. “Hm hm... You really need to brush up on your Chinese script, Kazuchika. These characters don’t speak of just any entertainer and-or performer. These characters are for a singer.” He explained.

“‘Singer?’ Since when did vocalists like to gamble on the table? They always gamble something every time they go on stage.” Kazuchika grew a bit skeptical.

“Oh, there was this one female singer...” The Harbinger reminisced, before handing the card back to him. “We have our heading - Macau.”

“What for?” Kazuchika stashed the artifact.

“Follow me to the plane and I’ll explain. Fang, you too.” Neito waved them over, to which they complied. “Enjoy your stay, young lovebirds. For better or worse, it won’t be for long.” He added on cryptically.

What followed was about two minutes of silence as the LWA guards remained stoic and vigilant, with most of them hardly moving a muscle while still focused on their prisoners and any points of entrance for rescuers, however unlikely they were to show up.

But after a couple of minutes, one of the first two guards came up to the suspended duo, lowering them back down so that their head-level matched his belt’s. He first studied Kazuhiko with some assessment... Before stopping at Yada.

“You know... You’re right about at least one thing during all of that, Kazuhiko. Consistency is key to a great many things. Which is why you, your older brother, his boss, and the more reasonable world that the two want to create cannot say no to this idea - why should your wife be able to watch you get molested, and not vice versa?” He declared.

Both Kazuhiko and Yada’s eyes shrunk upon realizing what the merc was about to do.

The soldier pulled off his gloves and immediately copped a feel of Yada’s inner thighs through her tight pleather leggings. The latter naturally responded with irate, muffled screams that were largely ignored by everyone else, save for the grunt of the hour, who instead took it to mean pulling her leggings down (well, up), revealing her pants and lustfully pressing on the exposed muscles just before the cotton cloth. Kato understandably stared indignantly at his wife’s groper; eye twitching with fury all the while.

“Damn, these lean legs are a lot softer than I could have ever expected.” He turned back to look at his mates while continuing his fondle. “She takes great care down there, boys!” He taunted, which they all gave a quick chuckle to.

Yada’s rancorous head movements and squirming body showed her absolute rejection of the intrusive sensations she was feeling on her skin. The LWA agent was only more turned on and moved down (well- you know what, you get the idea), snaking his hands to her hipline, and then to her posterior, which made those nearby muscles reflexively tense. The CFO continued to voice her disapproval, leading to him trailing further to her chest through her T-shirt, giving it a generously long rub and squeeze. She gave a quick, aggressive yelp in response, which only made Kazuhiko’s rage even more blue-hot. The fondler soon moved back to the lower body, this time sneaking a finger behind the straps lining her high hips.

“You think you’re so much better than us, don’t you? What does this tell you then, huh little bitch?” The soldier derided her, finally letting go and stepping away for a moment.

Kazuhiko and Yada both looked at each other, as if they were both silently asking the other if they were alright psychologically with what just happened.

“Oh, I’m sorry...” He spoke with a recomposed manner. “That’s no way to speak to a lady. Allow me to let you speak back in kind.” He then made an unzipping sound, and turned back to face Yada and Kato.

Yada began ventilating heavily again seeing what he had undone on his person. 

“Yes. Let’s do something about that gag.” He clarified, walking up to her and crouching down to be at face level and removing the cleave cloth, letting it drop to the floor.

“You’re utterly despicable. And you know this wasn’t about equality. That makes it all that much worse.” Yada spoke behind intensely-gritted teeth.

“Well you know what they say - forgiveness. Not permission. Now for your-” The soldier shrugged off the insult and proceeded to raise his hands, reaching for her lower underwear. But they would only get one quick touch.

The reason was that the merc was forcibly pushed away. Not from his shoulders, or beltline, but rather his crotch. Yada headbutted the man’s little member and his buddies, drawing a sharp groaning noise from the groper.

“Oooh... Spirited young lady, huh? Should’ve known. Going to enjoy this even more then!” The soldier recovered and ran back in, this time right knee-first, and headed straight for Yada’s hanging face.

But that didn’t land either.

“Hn-?!” His knee was stopped dead a mere inch from the CFO’s right eye (to also note, the CFO didn’t even flinch at the oncoming strike). The reason turned out to be because a hand had reached out to catch the joint and pushed back until it stopped. He then glanced to his lower right to track the arm back to its source - Kazuhiko!

The Chairman, with subdued animosity in his eyes, pulled his leg towards him before anyone could react and then held the leg so that the kneecap was right underneath his tricep. Then with his other arm, he lifted up the ankle, straightening out the leg. And then he pushed so hard upwards that the kneecap pressed too hard on Kato’s arm and shattered, causing the lower leg to bend unnaturally forward.

“AHHHHAHAHOH!” The soldier cried out in pain, falling on his back after Kazuhiko decided to let his lower limb go. This alerted all of the other LWA Agents, who began preparing their arms and training them on their defiant captives. 

They would be too late, however, as Kazuhiko and Yada both dropped to their feet, with the chains that bound them either falling behind them (the arm restraints), or returned to hanging on their lonesome vertically (the ankle cuffs); the latter also took an instant to bring her leggings back up. Before any firearms could focus on them, Kazuhiko then produced a Ballistic Shield from seemingly out of nowhere. It wasn’t the typical Ballistic Shield that adorns the forearms of KAM AtTac Suits, however; this was a full protection cover with a size and shape comparable to a tapered casket - the K-offin!

“Fire! Fire!” One of the LWA Agents ordered, with a hailstorm of bullets raining down on the duo. But despite the lead Hell, Kazuhiko (with Yada safely right behind him) was unflinching. All of the ballistics striking the K-offin hardly felt like anything worse than a series of mosquito bites, as Yada’s tactical lenses (which were mysteriously working now) found out why. The K-offin, made from an amalgamation of both Kato’s AtTac Suit and her own had retooled the structuring of the graphene to create the K-offin, sacrificing the ability to shape seamlessly according to its owner. It was still flexible where it counted, however, as the graphene had enough leg room to stretch from each and every bullet, and ultimately absorb much of the force behind them all. The last of the bullets’ kinetic energy was devoted to bouncing harmlessly downward, thanks to the shield’s subtle upward slants that dictated the new trajectory.

The LWA Agents realized very quickly that their current onslaught had been ineffectual, and thus some broke fire and tried flanking around the special ballistic shield. Yada however was ready for them, as their progression forward allowed her to claim the sidearm (and its extra magazines) of the broken-legged merc - a nickel-plated Remington 1911 - and shot unerringly at the stragglers’s weapons and arms as they appeared. 

After roughly a dozen seconds, all of the other LWA Agents ran out of ammunition and needed to reload. Yada took that opportunity to pop out and cap their guns and legs - whichever were more immediate. When another soldier came out from a side entrance, Kato glimpsed at him and swept his right arm over his wife’s to claim the handgun and flick-shoot his instep, causing his foot to fly back and land on his face.

With the heat over for now, CEO and CFO of KAM mobilize around the room, claiming more weapons, equipment, and ammunition from the writhing bodies, and giving them additional caps to nonlethal regions as needed. They then regrouped just before a door.

_ Yada, quick gut check - are you good?  _ He questioned her with concern.

_ Fine. But I can definitely ask the same of you. How about it? _ She turned it back around.

_ Sufficient. _ He smacked his chest in front of his heart with honesty.  _ All public exits will be too hot for us to go through without our suits. I reckon we will need to go underground - literally - to escape. _ He suggested.

_ Sounds like a plan.  _ Yada nodded. She then took to a fallen grunt’s wrist-mounted PDA and navigated the UI to a map schematic for the layout of the prison.  _ I see an isolated hall in this compound ninety double-time paces to our left, and probably forty down - leads far past the battlements. That route might be undefended, no records indicate how one can get down there. But then... How do we? _ She offered. 

Kazuhiko gently brought his wife’s arm close so that he could commandeer control. After a bit of his own touchscreen swiveling and zooming, he found what he was looking for.  _ Aha - a slanting, uncompromised path from the bottom of one higher room to the hall. That must be the access to the isolated section. _ He deduced.

_ Good eye. _ She studied the room in question further.  _ That must be the Prison Warden’s office, judging from its high floor, and lack of other offices level with it. Closest way looks to be... twenty paces left to a staircase, which we can take three floors up, then forty paces right, then ten ahead for a private staircase that leads to the floor. _ She noted.

_ Sounds like a plan. We should get going now before they lock it all down. _ Kazuhiko noted, brandishing his K-offin Shield once more and waited to breach the door. Yada ripped off the rugged device from her wrist (worried that it had a beacon that the other soldiers could use to keep track of their movements), committing the details she just described to memory and pulling back the slide of her pistol, joining her husband at the other side of the closed doors.

With one final nod to each other, they both kick the entryway open. 


	18. The Energy to Break Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kato and Yada had been taken down after losing their duels. But as the previous chapter's end revealed, just because they were down, doesn't mean they're out.
> 
> And that is meant in two ways. After all, they're still up and about... But they do still need to get out of the abandoned prison compound filled to the brim with some pretty dangerous mercs. Not to mention they have no idea where they are. And with no recognizable rescue, they're on their own. Let's just see how they manage.

“Alert! Alert! The assets have gotten loose! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!” The intercom of the abandoned prison compound loudly announced.

“No fucking surprise. They’re not in the special interrogation room anymore!” One riot-protected soldier cursed towards his immediate teammates, investigating the area and lending aid to the wounded, crippled folk. 

“They couldn’t have escaped this complex just yet! Comb over the entire building!” A squad leader yelled across a doorway he held open, as roughly ten more soldiers armed to the teeth with Resolute 300 ASRs and DWX 9mm pistols mobilized and funneled out of the passage. Another side of the prison saw the rapid deployment of their own LWA operatives.

The group began splitting off as they passed by each corridor to the facility, covering as much ground as possible to track down the former prisoners. 

A trio of soldiers then opened the auditorium doors to the next detention section of the prison, finding roughly five soldiers lining the ground and walls with their unconscious bodies.

“Hey! They’ve been through here!” The leader of the pack noted, as he inspected the damage. After studying the closest casualty, he rose up to meet his oncoming complement. “Twenty bucks says the two captives are a part of the carnage they created.” He looks back to his two teammates and arrogantly betted.

“I raise 30. Same stance.” The second from the front nodded understandably in acknowledgement, before turning to his final comrade.

“40. But I say they’ve been smart and moved on.” The one holding the rear asserted.

“Let’s find out then.” The first soldier started up, turning over the next-nearest body. One rip of the helmet later... Revealed a familiar person. “Well, that’s definitely Chavez.” He informed the both of them, generating indifferent expressions. “Or Hill.” He unmasked another one. He rose up to begin observing another, until something else interrupted and alerted him.

It was the sound of something, perhaps an aerosol can of boot paint, that had been knocked over inside a metal cabinet in the middle of the hallway. The noise echoed across the gridded halls, and prompted them all to forego the personal gamble and investigate. But not without a couple of quick punts to the torsos of the fallen. Some reacted with a groan that they recognized; others were still too out of it to do so.

Soon enough, they came to the cabinet. The point-man pulled out a slim jim-esque device that he inserted into the narrow gap between doors. On the inside it fanned out to produce small, sharp blades. As he dragged the mechanism upwards, it was clear that it was intended to remove pull-operated traps that would occur once the soldier opened the door. But when nothing was slit, and with no other unfamiliar signals to be found, he finally sighed and opened the door.

Aside from the spray paint can that had fallen, everything seemed to be exactly as it should be inside the gun rack. “Hm, nothing. Guess it could’ve been a rat that we missed during the last inspection.” He suggested, as he took a knee and stood the can back up on the bottom section of the locker. But that was also when he was close enough to notice the trembling of the metal ground, and he bowed further to analyze its source - a small napalm bomb made out of janitorial chemicals that was just about to explode!

And explode it did, right into the facemask of the LWA Agent. It was thanks to that cover that saved the man from permanent facial damage, but the sudden storage of gunpowder fueled the inferno with enough force to send him flying into the far side of the corridor back-first, taking all the air out of him. 

His two cohorts watched the event with terror, only for one of them to remain standing when on the far side of the aisle, Yada appeared, holding a new pistol, the 75-Shadow, in center axis relock and rapidly approaching the nearest one from behind. With the suppressed 9mm, she shoots him in the kneecap and compresses his neck to limit his screaming range to just his cohort, who turns around to confront her.

But it was too late for him as Kazuhiko, who really did cosplay as a fallen LWA grunt, revealed his own Shadow and fired from behind his prone direction; the ballistic drills through his target’s right ankle, putting him off-balance. He only gives a half-second’s scream of pain as Yada pushes his remaining ally on top of him, smothering his face with the other’s upper back. They both get slammed onto the ground, where a knee drop simultaneously takes them out.

Seeing that the heat had died down, Kazuhiko rose up and pried off the helmet, approaching his wife. He then turned to look at the new corridor and approached a darkened prison cell, where an LWA agent in only his Batman briefs laid in deep slumber.  _ I curse your nearly cranium-crushing helmet size. _ He threw the headgear next to the unconscious body, before taking the rest off.

_ Are we done deviating? _ Yada asked him curiously while checking the round count in her current handgun magazine.

_ We should be. They have no reason to believe we’d be heading for the Warden’s Office as opposed to anything else around here now. _ The Chairman confirmed, finally out of the disguise.

The duo nod in agreement and begin taking a revised path to the staircase. In their way stood a couple of other small squads of LWA Agents, that were dispatched in a number of ways, from leg breaks and hiding behind hostiles to avoid getting shot, to breakneck shoulder tackles and K-offin shield throwing, like a certain Stars-n-Stripes, military superhero would’ve done.

When they did finally get into the staircase, Kazuhiko and Yada both overhear a light commotion from above. Any of their footsteps could alert them to their presence, which meant that they’d have to give them a sound they wouldn’t expect. For instance, stuffing one of the soldiers’ boots with two (still-pinned) grenades and tossing it to the next lower level; its bouncing sound mimicking the vigorous going down of the steps.

Kato and Yada both hid on different sides of the auditorium doorway to the stairs, as the five-strong crew quickly descended to investigate. Just as the last one went past them, Kato dove into them with the K-offin shield active, smushing three of them into the far wall. The narrow structure meant that only one of the remaining two could actually take good aim against Kato, which was unfortunate as the latter was right on top of them, shoulder-tackling them both into their own wall. Kato made sure the one in the back was stunned before he pulled his cohort off and snap-kicked him over the rail, plummeting seven floors to the basement. As for the last one standing, he took a guillotine thrust using his own assault rifle (the stock of the long gun was shoved into his Adam’s Apple, and upon slamming the barrel onto the ground with the neck still positioned there caused the rifle butt to crush the throat). His attempts to fix his compressed larynx resulted in him writhing over to the next set of stairs down, crashing at the bottom and still clutching his neck in serious pain.

_ You done? _ Yada spoke with her eyes to him from over the railing. Once he confirmed with his own silent stare, he collected his K-offin and continued upstairs with her. As soon as they were about to enter the highest floor they could reach with this staircase, Yada was the first to actually break the threshold, before instantly noticing something and pulling herself and her husband back. In the nick of time too, for they would’ve taken the full brunt of a rainstorm of bullets from the far side of the hall. Still, they couldn’t stay pinned down, so Yada brandished dual pistols while Kazuhiko had one of his own and came out first with his K-offin Shield. Its anti-ballistic properties continued to shine brightly, as it sent all of the bullets coming at it down and provided ample cover for both behind it from head to toe. Yada and Kato took quick flick shots from around the edges of their defense to take out one at a time, and once they could get to the next corridor, Yada rolled over a little present - a chaff grenade.

The gunfire had naturally attracted more soldiers to the immediate vicinity, and it was only a matter of time before Kato and Yada got noticed again and entered open conflict. The K-offin still proved excellent for their more-resourceful setup... Until the LWA began catching on. One of their gunmen unveiled a nasty new toy - an SC-Thunderbolt sniper rifle, definitely chambered in .50 BMG and overclocked for an insane muzzle velocity. He took aim at the upper section of the Super-Ballistic Shield, perhaps trying for a headshot on either of the two adversaries, and pulled the trigger.

The large-caliber bullet zipped just past Kato and Yada, who were obviously surprised by the sheer strength and speed of the ballistic that allowed it to rip through the shield as if it was made from paper mache. Kato tapped the back of his neck to remind Yada to really, really follow his lead this time so as not to lose their heads. She laid her hand and tapped on the same area, confirming her comprehension silently.

The marksman fired again on the other upper corner, with enough force to push Kato back (Yada kept him balanced with a reactionary push on his close shoulder blade). Kato then switched hand grips of the shield and thus shifted leaning, such that the next shot by the sniper would go through where his hip would’ve been in the original arrangement. He then lifted his foot behind him, taking his wife’s own instep up with it, miraculously in time to avoid the shot to the shins towards the bottom. 

Now running out of options, both made a predicted evasion with the bowing of their heads once more (the sniper had believed paying too much attention down low would ruin their concentration up above). As Yada fell forward, she rolled an unpinned, thermite incendiary grenade at the feet of the pointmen just three paces ahead of the sharpshooter. If that weren’t frightening enough, it was also coated with the remaining, extremely flammable janitorial chemicals. The throwable detonated with such ferocity that it engulfed half of the hallway. The K-offin managed to mostly protect the two behind it, though some openings had the initial burst of fire singe Kato’s lower left leg. Thankfully, none of it was long-term; not even the shoulder of the shirt on fire that Yada extinguished with some swift patting. 

Having avoided certain death, the CEO and CFO couldn’t help feeling a certain high seeing the other just alright; it almost distracted the former from one straggler who took aim at the latter with an M9 Beretta. The ballistic shield too heavy to put in the way on time, he could only bring himself ahead of it. His left scapula was struck by the shot, while Yada returned the shooter with a bullet to his thigh, taking him off his feet. The leg would be fine - clean shot through the muscle without hitting a vital artery. Landing on his head was another story.

Yada quickly took to her husband, seeing that the bone was sturdy enough to avoid breakage while also keeping the ballistic at a superficial distance within the bone. However, the necessary procedure to remove it was simply not in the cards.  _ Kato, I’m sorry, but it’s going to have to stay in there until we’re done. _ She lamented.

_ I get it; we’re behind schedule. _ Kato swiveled his shoulder, folded the K-offin, and took out his new sidearm again.  _ Let’s roll. _ He suggested, to which she agreed.

There was not much more incident for the duo as they made it to the next necessary staircase; the action had died down after the explosion and while more flocked to it, they didn’t think to explore many of the hiding spots along the way in favor of getting to the scene as quickly as possible; thus the Team Kazuhiko members could sneak by undetected.

Finally, they scaled the private stairwell to the Warden’s floor. All that stood between them at the entrance and the personal study room was an S-shaped hallway.

Unfortunately, turnabout seemed to be fair play as while Kazuhiko and Yada remained vigilant about what could be around every corner and in some of the more secluded spots in the passage, they weren’t inspecting every connected room, leading to one LWA merc able to come out from an archive room they had just passed. Yada noticed for them both too late and got a Kitchen Sink knee strike right into her chest, forcing her to her own knees for a moment as Kato dealt with the assailant. A blocked jab and a subtle jittering of the hand as it retracted helped the soldier realize that Kato had something wrong over there, and so worked his way up to the limb until Kazuhiko couldn’t not react - a hammerfist to the forearm, an elbow smash to the tricep, and finally a fist rub to the socket.

Kazuhiko was practically fighting with only one working arm by that point, and the soldier capitalized with two low kicks to the Chairman’s shins and a belly-to-belly mat slam into the wall. His foe now pinned down, the grunt attempted to seal the deal with a CRKT Ultima fixed tactical knife - blade into the right eye. Kazuhiko got his right arm, supported however possible with his left, to X-block the lunge, but his test of strength was failing, and the tip of the spearpoint was just millimeters away from his pupil.

That was when Yada came back into the fray. She gave the aggressor a surprise punt kick to the crotch. Undeniably stunned, the LWA Agent could do nothing as Kazuhiko overturned the knife and stabbed it into his shoulder in revenge. He handgagged him to make sure he wouldn’t cry out in pain, before slamming his head into the wall behind him, finally knocking him out with a knife pommel to the temple and crushing his head into the concrete on the other side. 

Yada looked back upon noticing a commotion being had at the bathroom well. She swiftly got to just around the corner, with a wooden chair held high. The first one to come around, she slams it onto him; the impact shattered the chair, but took the man down to size as he spilled to the floor. The one right behind him got a wall-assisted enzuigiri to the face, pushing him back into the lavatory well.

With a solid oak chair-leg still in hand, the CFO continually wailed whack after whack on the soldier, until the latter could successfully resist the onslaught and make some space with a small push kick. Yada came in for another overhead with the improvised weapon, but the LWA Agent anticipated it, going underneath while clutching the arm so that it over-swung behind her. He then gave it a quick tug, causing them both to turn and face each other again, and with the surprise exchange, went further low and speared her towards the wall she had just pushed him to.

This one was much worse, however, as the small of Yada’s back was rammed into the metal edges of the bubbler; the same small of the back that was still sore from how Fang had stressed it during their earlier battle.

“Ehhhhrrgh!” Yada did her best to rein in her cry of pain, and thus was at the merc’s mercy. He capitalized by holding her in a choke that leaned her across the fountain. When she raked her nails across his exposed forearm, the soldier grew extra agitated and hook-punched Yada on her left cheek, sending her to the ground. He then delivered a punt to her torso, generating another muffled yelp from the young lady. And he was ready to do it again...

But then it was his turn to softly scream, as Kazuhiko had recovered and, with the CRKT still in hand, carved four times horizontally on the man’s raised leg, starting with his ankle and up to the popliteal; the Chairman’s free hand made sure he wouldn’t alert the other floors. He then delivered the coup de grace in the form of a head slam onto the bubbler.

After helping his wife off the ground, Kato noticed that the soldier the former had taken down earlier with a chair was getting back up himself. The CEO dashed in, kicking the assault rifle out of the man’s hands, and easily trapped the slide and emptied the well of his pistol before the latter could pull the trigger. With him left confused, Kato then gave him a shoulder stab to match one of his colleague’s except he took it a little further by twisting it horizontally and pushing upwards, separating the arm. Kazuhiko gave him only a half-second’s time to yell at the top of his lungs before his mouth got filled with a small sofa pillow to reduce the amplitude. When the man was done, Kazuhiko tossed him onto the ground and mounted his back, knife held threateningly close to the throat.

Yada twisted and slapped her back to get it back to fully functional order as she walked over to the scene to observe. 

“How do we open this door?” Kato interrogated the defeated merc, obviously referring to the Warden’s door just a couple meters away.

“Quit wasting my time - you don’t scare me, you little shit.” The soldier spat out a wad of blood before answering spitefully back.

Kato then looked back up to his wife.  _ You’re very sure we cannot hypnotize him now? _

_ Not unless you can make him laugh. Without a surprise chance, the person needs to be at least at neutral disposition to be hooked in. _ She explained to her husband.

_ Very well. _ Kazuhiko then returned his attention to his captive. “You should be.” 

“Why should I? You hardly kill anymore.” He refused the notion.

“Have you ever stopped to wonder why?” Kato grimly questioned, as he then cleaved the man’s right ear off with the tactical knife. He was again forced to scream into the pillow, before Kazuhiko brought his head close to his remaining ear.

Yada shook her head and held her mouth in sheer disappointment over the enemy’s incredible lack of good judgement.

“Do you wonder why your boss kept me and my partner alive? Why they rubbed the clue they were solving in my face? Why they made sure they didn’t explain the last detail of it in front of us?!” He chained his rhetorical queries. “Because they know that there are things worse to people than death. I learned this very well too, soon after I became Oyabun.” He explained, as he stabbed the right palm viciously.

Yada waited for him to finish yelling before she crouched next to him, taking over. “Kindness is the worst cruelty, sir. Because it’s the only source of suffering that gives people reprieve. Something they will hope for. Like the hope that you will live. And admittedly, you will. But what divine force said you were going to walk away the same man? A complete man, for that matter? That is, after all, why societies have always been afraid of being conquered. More than they are afraid of dying out completely.” She drilled into his head.

“I’m going to be kind and spare your thumb.” Kato added on, slowly lowering the targeted finger from his weapon. “In exchange, I’ll take your pinkie.” He then took the smallest digit and pressed it on the blade enough to dig superficially into the tissue.

“Wait.” The grunt finally had enough of the barrage on both fronts. “8-4-4-6-1-9.” He gave up a code, which corresponded to the number pad on the door.

“You’re not fibbing, are you?” Yada looked him in the eyes.

“No... I’m not.” He honestly admitted.

Kato silently nodded to his wife to input it. She complied, and the door indeed buzzed open. But the buzzing soon grew louder.

“Old trick of the warden here. The code soon became so popular, inmates caught wind. But- heheh, turns out the chief wanted that. Meant the whole prison knew where they were. And now-” The soldier taunted their collective foolishness, but was cut short when Kato knocked him unconscious with a knife-pommel slam to the nape.

_ Little time to work with, here. _ Yada immediately reminded Kato, closing the door as he passed through the threshold.

_ Little is all we need. _ He answered back, propping the door shut with a large trophy cabinet.  _ We’re going down, right? _ He reminded her back, before going behind the Warden’s desk, tugging the swiveling chair out of the way, and then the small shoe rug. What was left was a concrete scar. With them having claimed a chisel from the closet earlier, a couple hammer fists allowed it to dig at the outline effectively.

_ Great, Kato. But I’m just realizing... _ Yada looked aside for a moment.  _ Getting out is only half our battle. What are we going to do once we’re out there? _ She asked him.

Kato did wonder that too, having her take the lead on chiseling at the moment so that he could look outside the windows.  _ I got it. _ He confirmed seconds later.

_ Do you know where we are? _ Yada inquired, looking out the same window, then returning to the trimming.

_ Not far from where we were taken - I recognize Borneo over there. Saw it... Uh, some time ago before I attacked another prison. This must mean we’re on the East side of Malaysia.  _ He answered back. He then looked over to the grandfather clock in the room, seeing that the time was six P.M.  _ If we can get outside during the next thirty minutes, there should be a fishing vessel that we can stowaway on. _ He informed further, while going to the Warden’s personal computer, generating a simple Morse signal that was sent out across the immediate South China Sea.  _ Come on, let’s get down to the isolated hall. _ He trashed the computer, pried the concrete slab off of a revealed trapdoor and opened it, motioning his wife to descend first. Just as he was about to close it on his own way down, a rumbling of the entrance door from the other side occurred. Kazuhiko replaced the small rug in such a way that it nearly perfectly covered the hatch as it did shut, mere seconds before the reinforcements broke in.

Husband and Wife continued to slide down the ladder and descended a winding staircase afterwards, which had a slant to it. This was likely to provide passable cover spots for the Warden and his security personnel in case the inmates sacked the office and realized what was down here. Or slow down their descent long enough for said personnel to catch up to them. It wasn’t too much of a hindrance for Kato and Yada, however, who could make the broad leaps with the necessary precision to speed up their descent. 

Finally, the duo had reached the end of the drop and just another cut corner later, they reached the isolated hall. 

_ Freedom’s in sight. Let’s not keep it waiting. _ She eagerly stepped forth. But her husband’s spread arm stopped her.  _ What’s up? _

_ Too easy... _ Kazuhiko vaguely commented, before taking out a fragment of his K-offin Shield, which still had active micromachines, and tossed the small block into the passage. Said fragment immediately sparked up and jittered on the ground before finally being fried in a small trash fire.  _ I thought so. Kazuchika knew of this hallway too - he created a countermeasure. _

_ He’s terribly barbaric - we would’ve scorched our eyes if we went in with the lenses on. _

_ Our mistake, he would state. We wouldn’t be the right enemy for my brother if we fell for that so suddenly.  _ He explained.

_ Well, I guess I’m not setting the best example. _ She held her hip in disappointment.

_ Everyone makes mistakes, Yada. But now we know we have to turn everything off. _ He dismissed her self-deprecation, as he then scattered some deactivated micromachines for the K-offin into the corridor, which did not generate such a response. Then, with a heavy step forward, they confirmed the theory a second time, and sprinted ahead afterwards.

It wasn’t that simple either, though.

_ Great. Gates. _ Yada stopped swiftly, clinging to the metal bars and inspecting the outline of the door for any countermeasures. It didn’t take long.

_ Rigged with explosives. One password only. One chance to get it right.  _ Kazuhiko noted.

_ Surely Kazuchika’s got hints for these, yes? In case he ever had to go through this too.  _ The CFO wondered, studying the block of bombs.

_ Indeed. There. _ He pointed upwards.

On the roof of the hallway, etched out with likely an X-Acto scalpel, were the words: 

“CURRENT TIME, IN HH:MM:SS FORMAT, MINUS THE EXACT TIME THAT KAZUTO KATO DIED. ABSOLUTE.”

_ Morbid. _ Yada remarked, before realizing just how grave the circumstances are.  _ That’s why he made us turn off the tech! He knew only you, Neito, and he could solve these, but also had no safe way of telling time! _ She realized.

Kato looked at her with intense worry; the silence engulfing their thoughts as a solution was just out of their grasp.

And then it hit him.

Kazuhiko then looked to his right, opposite the side of the gate’s swing, and where the bomb was situated. As he approached that corner, a ticking sound, like the one that was being repeatedly made by the bomb, became stronger. Of course, it wasn’t the bomb giving it, though it certainly was made to sound like so.

_ What is it, Kato? _ Yada inquired.

_ My demon of a brother... He hid this behind the junction box of this hall! _ He revealed what he caught on to - a wall-mounted clock!

_ He put that there? _ Yada was confused by the sudden introduction of a gamebreaking clue.

_ Because once we became fully stumped, Kazuchika wanted to show this to me - show how it was just a couple steps away from me. _ He explained.  _ Well, last laugh’s mine. _ He asserted, paying attention to the three hands of the clock. With it, answering the time-relative question was a piece of cake for him. As was the next one:

“CURRENT TIME MINUS THE EXACT TIME THAT THE COMMUNIST INSURGENCY OF THAILAND TRULY ENDED.”

And the next:

“CURRENT TIME PLUS THE EXACT TIME KAZUTO KATO HAD JOINED THE ANTI-INSURGENCY. REMOVE DAYS IF ANY.”

And so on, for the next three gates after. The only pressing concern regarding them was the time it took to deal with these time problems; the current time was ever changing and while subtracting all of the smaller places made it tick down further and further. Meanwhile, the both of them could hear the commotion behind them; the LWA Agents have found out the trapdoor and are quickly descending to the isolated hallway.

Thankfully, Kato completed the last gate and rearmed the C4 once he closed it shut again. A narrow dodge of the gunfire ensured they’d get away from the militant mob unscathed, and trek up one more small staircase to burst open a pair of cellar doors.

Kato and Yada took a deep breath upon returning to the surface, free from the stifling concrete smell of the compound. But they spared negligible time standing around to do so, running to the nearest seabound horizon they could. When Kazuhiko sensed that there was going to be some lurking gunmen coming out from behind, he then collected his wife in the most tactical princess carry (ever) and signaled the remains of the K-offin Shield to form on his upper back down to his waist. 

Not needing to run on her own, Yada could devote all her concentration in picking off the chasers from over her husband’s shoulders, finding armshot after armshot with the seven in view. 

At the end of the road was a long, windy, and muddy ramp that would eventually finish with an inclined jump into the gulf below. The shield acted as a near-perfect sled along Kato’s back for this slope that would take them beyond the jagged rocks immediately at the cliffs, with Yada herself acting as a shift when they had to steer in another direction. And then came the roughly seventy-meter drop into the waters below...

The prison’s battlements were densely populated with marksmen wielding TAC-50s and thermal scopes, hoping to catch their targets swimming about. But the duo seemingly remained underwater. And after twenty minutes... Nothing had stood out from the usual waves and fishing freighters moving with the tide’s ebbs and flows.

“It’s... Been longer than the Guinness World Record for remaining under the surface.” One LWA Agent quietly remarked.

“Could they have drowned?” Another queried flatly.

“We’d see them. No. They’re gone.” A sniper in the mix quit scanning the sea with frustration. “Harbinger’s not going to love this...” He added on.

Hours later...

Kazuhiko and Yada have been shown to be hanging with an iron grip to the portholes of the fishing vessel, thanks in large part to some rustic AtTac gauntlets, resting their bodies along the bosun ropes on the opposite side of the hull. Hours must’ve passed by, but Kato finally found a proper spot for them to depart undetected - Redang Island, the snorkeling/diving tourist destination apart from the mainland peninsula of Malaysia.

Upon hitting the shore (of which it was now fully into sundown for upper Malaysia), Kato and Yada take a brief moment to regain their breath on the dry section of the sand. Finishing that, Kato kneeled upright and ripped off his ragged T-shirt, showing his Irezumi-covered back to his wife.

Yada understood what he was going for and pulled out her foldout Gerber tactical knife. She dug the tip into the bullethole to remove the scapula bullet from earlier. After that was done, she brought to point to an uninked, lower section of her husband’s back with little bone presence. Yada dug it roughly two centimeters deep (eliciting only a small, grunting exhale from Kazuhiko), and pried out a currently-deactivated transmitter. She presses its red jewel rhythmically ten times, after which it began strobing from the same button. “I band signal’s out. You really think...?” She spoke aloud, trailing off upon realizing that Kato quickly went back into the salt water to clean up the new wounds and its neighbors.

“It’s a long obsolete designation for a radio frequency. By the time Kazuchika finds and traces it here, we’ll already be long gone.” He responded, splashing generous amounts of the ocean water onto the area. 

“Hmmm...” Yada looked back at the transponder again before setting it down on the sand. She then went back into the water as well, and they both helped each other stave off infections and trigger osmosis on their skin. Just as they finished up, she also noticed Kato gargling the ocean water and scrubbing it across his tongue. Her disbelieving gaze was the first time since fighting Kazuchika and Fang that she technically had a smile on her face.

Kazuhiko noticed it midway through his second brushing with his hand, stopping at that point and looking aside. He then stood straight up and took it out of his mouth. “Forgive me for letting you see that, Yada. But I don’t reckon you’d want whatever Fang left in my gums to be there when you and I kiss again.” He explained himself.

Her smile only grew as she heard that, holding her hip and laughing at the water. Kato saw it and began snickering himself too. “No, I guess I wouldn’t.” She concurred.

The Chairman gathered every last, tangible drop from his mouth and spit it out. “How about now?” He questioned.

The CFO went up to him and held his chest and cheek endearingly. “No.” She declared.

Kato hardly reacted to the answer one way or another, anticipating a quirky follow-up.

“Only because you just drank this unpredictably dirty stuff.” She quipped, generating another bout of laughter for herself. She leaned her head heavily on her husband as well.

Kato beamed again, and then carried his wife in the second (but far more intimate) princess carry of the day, deeper towards the inside section of the sandy coastline. It was there that they could finally be less than paranoid and merely vigilant, taking turns resting up with the other assuredly by their side.

About two hours later, it was currently Kato’s turn to watch the skies and seas. But he would be momentarily distracted as he felt his left shoulder compress. It was Yada brushing her head on it rather concerningly.  _ You alright? _ He whispered into her ear.

_ Just-  _ Yada muttered briefly. She then turned onto her side and hooked her arm across Kazuhiko’s clavicle.  _ Hold me, please. _ She ordered him. He didn’t hesitate to comply, putting his arm underneath her head and slinging it over, compressing her waist.  _ That’s it... _ Her tone became a lot more relaxed and pleased.

Kato looked to the evening clouds for a moment in thought, also checking the time on his tactical lenses.  _ Were you afraid that I wouldn’t want to hold you? After that terrible lech unscrupulously violated you? _ He inquired.

_ I know it’s dumb - you love me even when I just *had* to take a dump in the facilities of the Ministry of Defense.  _ She explained, of which Kato grinned again. _ But a girl can’t deny her insatiable need for assurance. And dear God, this feels really good. _ She admitted.

_ You’re never going to be damaged goods in my eyes, Yada. Please don’t forget that.  _ The Chairman reminded her assuredly. 

_ I really appreciate that.  _ She acknowledged, before noticing something else.  _ Your voice - I’ve been sensing a higher level of confidence about all this from the escape onwards. A lack of hesitation, the return of a more familiar tone... _ She curiously looked directly into his eyes.

_ Kazuchika and Neito have ignited a significant fire in me, Yada. For real this time... Like there was something more substantial about seeing them both in person. _ He concurred, looking back at her.  _ I sure hope I can redeem my brother - he’s my flesh and blood. But if I cannot manage that, I’ll have to make sure I can stop him. Luckily, our confrontation in Singapore helped me realize I can at least do that. _ He asserted.

Yada bit her lower lip to that statement with serious thought. She then smiled so widely, she had to break her gaze first.  _ If anyone can show someone else the meaning of family... _ She implicitly encouraged her husband.

He didn’t let his wife finish, instead pulling her a little closer so that her head rested on his chest. The latter then floated her left hand until it laid on top of Kato’s, such that both of their wedding bands stuck to each other.  _ I also sure hope Kazuchika didn’t smelt down my dog tags out of spite either... _ He further imagined.

_ I’m certain you’ll get those back too. _ Yada snuggled her head deeper.

Kazuhiko tilted his head in acknowledgement, but then perked up upon hearing a familiar, constant noise.  _ Our friends have found us. _ He whispered.

_ How do you know it’s them and not LWA? _ She kneeled proper.

_ Have you ever played a standard Ultra Hercules whirring sound next to mine? _ He noted, before operating his tactical lenses so that Yada received a new message.

The latter had begun to open the message on her own lenses, but then she took another look at her husband, and eyed the message out of the UI.  _ I’ll take your word for it. I believe in you. _ She affirmed to him with total faith.

Kazuhiko was surprised by his wife’s credence, but he just as quickly took to it and stood up alongside her to wave over the friendly military aircraft as it looped back around searching for a proper landing spot on the water.

Sundown has now long passed in Singapore, however, and with the starry night sky over them, Kazuchika, Fang, and Neito along with four of their LWA Agents drove into a remote parking lot outside of the urban region of the nation. Minutes of waiting later, a Singaporean STAR APC Truck backed up by two PD cruisers rolled into the vicinity, making a loop around the Harbinger, Field Captain, and Third to show the backdoors of the vehicle.

Said doors soon opened and four were thrown out of the armored transport unscrupulously - Hazama, Kanzaki, Sosuke, and Muramatsu, in that order. The Shotgun passenger came out of the truck as well, silently demanding compensation while one of his cohorts came out and took off each of their cuffs. Neito scoffed, before gesturing to Fang to deliver it. Which she did, as spitefully as she could; the shoving of the briefcase full of Singaporean dollars took him off his feet, but he was far too satisfied with the weight of the luggage to really make a scene about it. As quickly as they arrived, the convoy had departed. 

The four assassins remained on their knees as Neito and the rest came up to them. The Harbinger crouched to their level, inspecting the only one who would not look at him - Hazama. He impatiently grabbed her by the chin and tried prying it towards him, but she resisted. “Look at me.” He voiced his demand. But surprisingly still, she remained obstinate. 

It was only when Fang pulled back the slide to a Desert Eagle that Hazama finally complied, staring into Neito’s eyes at an angle.

“Good.” Neito let go of her face. “So, Kazuhiko was right, huh Kazuchika? Setbacks, such as this?” He observed.

“This’ll be for the last time, Neito. I finally know how my brother’s been doing all of this. I can stop it now.” Kazuchika nervously stood his ground.

“Your half-brother, Kazuchika.” Neito looked back with a hint of condescension.

“Of course.” Kazuchika nodded in agreement.

“Mmm...” Neito then looked back to the four that were before him. “Though it does take two to tango. Or in this case, five.” He rose to proper standing. “Don’t think I don’t know that you all haven’t been following the directions exactly.”

Muramatsu clenched a resentful fist so tightly that it trembled and he had to hide it subtly behind his back.

“Not to mention all the other extra things you’ve been doing, perhaps to help the case of your old friends. You all thought you could succeed where Kurahashi failed, huh? Defying me? Defying Kazuchika?” He began raising his voice more familiarly this time.

Sosuke reacted as if he just had some spit propelled onto his face. Minus the agitation though, given the scary situation.

“Your superior was right - this isn’t going to happen again. Because your latest transgression has made the fates of your folks very uncertain.”

They all stared up at him with shrunken pupils.

“And guess what? The folks belonging to the rest of your other allies can join them.” Neito concluded, pulling out a special communicator. 

While Fang looked on with subdued, but clearly sadistic glee, Kazuchika could only stare with skepticism at his father figure.

“N64-02. Take them to the blacksite.” He ordered cryptically. He waited a moment to get the OK from the other side and hung up. “You hear that? Your loved ones are being taken to the Dark Ages; no one is ever going to find them if I so ordered to finish it.” 

They all had varying levels of mouths hanging open in shock.

He scoffed again. “It’s funny... I can actually keep that knowledge from you, in fact. Like, maybe they might already be dead, and I’m just dicking all of you. Or they were already there, and then I ordered their deaths. But you’d never find out!” He taunted. Before raising an index finger to the sky. “Just kidding, kids. They’re fine. I can be merciful, after all.”

Kanzaki looked ready to break, silently sniveling and holding back her tears, but Hazama held her wrist down - the warmth of the grip proved just sufficient enough in calming her down to avoid doing anything rash.

“For one chance. Their fates are in your hands. As they’ve always been.” He asserted, before leaving them. He gestured to the LWA personnel to acquire them off the ground.

Kazuchika and Fang both flanked him as they began returning to their personal vehicle.

“You sure you aren’t just being very upset that Kazuhiko and Yada escaped the prison?” Kazuchika opened the passenger door to the Bentley.

Neito stared at him perplexingly. “What do you mean by that?” He questioned back.

Kazuchika shook his head. “Forget it. Your judgement is sound. I’ve been too kind; if I’m to lead one day, I have to be more firm with my allies.” He corrected himself.

“Indeed.” Neito then took a seat in the Shotgun. Fang closed the door for him and took a backseat, leaving Kazuchika with an open hand and a need to get to the driver’s seat.

The four assassins meanwhile were taken to a matte-black van that was set to follow closely behind the luxury sedan to their next destination - presumably where the air transport that will take them to Macau was located. 


	19. Energy to Retake the Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kato and Yada successfully escaped the clutches of the LWA, with a renewed confidence and clarity in their eyes. Neito has now seen the reality of the FATE Race and takes it out on the caught assassins on Team Kazuchika. Nothing else is too clear, except for one thing: everyone's heading for Macau. And it's all but assured both teams are out with the same objectives and looking for the same thing in the same place...
> 
> Maybe?

“Half-Seconding, Wave-Splicing, Double-Swapping Thought-Signaling?” Terasaka asked dumbfoundedly and aloud.

“Mhmm. And because every compound word ends with an ‘s’, it has a moniker amongst our R&D community as ‘4S-ING’. Pretty neat, huh?” Yada, who was getting looked at by one of the military transport’s medical staff, nodded to the Wrestling Politician. Another among the aircraft crew was inspecting her and their boss for any foreign matter in their bodies once the wounds were tended to, in the event that there were any trackers or timed-release beacons placed on or inside them by the LWA. 

“It became crystal clear to me that Kazuchika is a far superior signals processing engineer than I; the earliest proof of that was when he could triangulate the location of the FTP sites-” He checked the digital clock on the inner chassis of the carrier. “-Before this Race for FATE had gone down. Then after, when he broke into my primary radio communications system. It was only a matter of time due to repeated exposure to his technology throughout this Race that he would crack my research for bidirectional neurocommunication, that which is key to working our AtTac Suits, all of our tactical lenses, and other most-secure equipment we possess.”

“That would be a most-frightening thought. Some Ghosts in the Complex shit in the real world...” Fuwa crossed her arms uneasily. “Now make no mistake, some Ghost in the SHELL elements would be amazing, but-” She widened her eyes when she realized she just spoke of the media she was trying to rearrange the name of, and looked at a random area of the Ultra Hercules, as if hoping that someone out of this world did not notice it.

“So I had to rethink the invention of my wheel. If one could disable my bridge of thought given enough time, what would happen if the blocker had to contend with Yada’s thoughts every other nanosecond? It would break the cycle necessary to nullify me, and we could eventually re-establish a firm connection with our equipment. And if they happen to get the pattern of switching and piecing right, we change the pattern. Infinitely. Thus ensuring we will remain in control from now on. Unless he finds an algorithm to predict the next pattern within a hundred microseconds and act on it with whatever time remains.” He explained the new security.

“Don’t tell me you went recklessly forward like a bull into a battle you had no certainty winning just so you could get captured and test your new toy out.” Naoko held her hip.

“I had no intention of losing that duel.” Kato then looked to Yada. “Or for Yada to lose hers. Thanks, Jaden. Santi.” He showed gratitude to the medic and inspector respectively, who backed away and went deeper into the Ultra Hercules. “No - I had no idea what they would’ve done while I was out in their own location.” He sighed discouragingly. “That being said, it was still dumb of me to be played by my emotions and charge ahead. Then lose the clue we worked really hard with the courier to obtain. My deepest condolences - it’s all I can offer.”

“Wow... That was actually pretty heartfelt, Kato.” Maehara looked to the top of the plane’s hull with attempted understanding.

“Would you confess to something like this if you didn’t have a ‘but’ that would make it better, if only a little? I’m curious.” Nakamura wondered.

“Of course I would. It’s what separates a brutally honest person like me to pretty-white liars like all of you. You know this.” Kato answered with a quip.

At that point, even the most stubborn had to give up a small chuckle.

“The big question now, is that the case here?” Karma tilted his head.

Kato cracked a grin himself. “Not at all. Pen and paper.” He held out an open hand.

It was soon filled with the requested contents and the next ten minutes was him sketching out the playing card to the exact last detail. “After Neito was done lecturing me, he had decided to half-ass his puzzle-solving of the next clue with Kazuchika in front of me. He thought he told Kazuchika enough that I wouldn’t get the rest myself, but he confirmed all that he needed to.” He then began writing some arrows, punctuations, and emoticons onto the notebook to illustrate his next description. “The LWA Harbinger noted that not only did the Chinese characters written here translate to ‘entertainer,’ as we had discerned earlier, but it also could mean ‘singer.’ A strange oddity, given that there’s another usual Hanzi string that casinos would typically use more. That was also around the time that Neito asserted they were headed for Macau.”

“Macau?” Okajima scratched his head in confusion.

“He didn’t explain why any further, but now that we got uplink again, we can see why. Cross-checking our scan of the queen, or yiji, on this face card helped us figure it out - this is a representation of Jenny Tseng.” Yada revealed through her VITaL device.

“Whoa, Tseng? She’s awesome!” Karma perked up upon hearing her name. When the rest looked at him and his hypeness incredulously, he returned his suave shields, especially as it pertained to Naoko. “Well, she surely is - one of the most popular singers of Hong Kong’s Musical Golden Age. I got to attend two of her three nightlong performances on a South China Sea cruise. With my parents, of course. And I happen to have discs burned with songs from over half of her albums...” He confessed.

“How many is half?” Yukimura tilted her head at the lack of a definitive answer.

“Sixty-five.” Karma grimaced his face after uttering that fact. 

“Ooooh, kay...” Okano then silently whistled aside.

“Moving on, Tseng was born in Macau - quite the gambling capital, of which this playing card would certainly be at home with. We are looking at the house, ladies and gents. One with literally-grand amplitudes and marvelous exploits!” He affirmed.

“And not just any great casino either; do you guys also notice Tseng’s hand in this depiction?” Yada pointed at the sole limb. “Skeleton hand. The Dead Man’s Hand, which is readily apparent with the card being of suit Spades. We’re looking for one that at least tangentially references aces and eights. Cuts down the search heavily.” She concluded. 

“Well, if anything, it’s certainly going to be much more appealing infiltrating a high-profile venue than the bustle of our previous commitments.” Sugino saw the bright side. 

“But now we’re playing from behind, though. Pretty far, in fact. Team Kazuchika’s boots must already be on the ground, investigating all dead man’s hand-themed casinos. I don’t think we can beat them to the one, since we’re going to have to do our own investigation, like in Marseilles.” Maehara cautioned everyone.

“Did you guys not get it back in Singapore?” Yada grinned widely, seemingly looking to the rest of Team Kazuhiko as a whole. “Because Kazuchika never got it, or he would’ve shown it to me and Kato too.” She reasoned.

“Did we not get what?” Hayami, like the others, was befuddled.

“Of course!” Terasaka snapped his fingers and slapped the top of his head in a “I’m an idiot”-like gesture. He then went to his locker inside their briefing room, and pulled out a plastic bag. “I forgive you, Nagisa, Sugino, and Yukimura, for not remembering to remind me to show this earlier, because I didn’t remember to remind myself either.” He opened the bag up and pulled out another card. “Here you are, Yada.” He handed it to her.

“Why thank you, dear Terasaka.” She showed gratitude, accepting the small plastic slip. It was far more rustic than the queen of spades card, with some distressed stains and light folding, some duct tape slapped diagonally across what was probably the card’s logo, and written on it with a permanent marker were the words “BIG TWO”. Of more importance clearly, however, was what was on its face. “Can you believe it? Kazuto Kato did it long before social media ever did.” She cryptically stated, still smiling. While doing so, she was also reminiscing on how she and her husband were confronting Ning, and when they first opened the envelope, Kato only took one out, and gave the paper bag to Yada, who pulled out the other clue and put it in her blazer’s secret back pocket.

“What did he do?” Nakamura asked.

“Boom.” Yada stylishly moved only three fingers to flip the card over to show the rest. “UNO reverse card.” She confirmed the contents. Another memory lane traversal shows that after tossing the card and transponder bag behind the dumpster, another was soon dropped behind also, into the heap of belongings for an unaware curb-sleeper.

“Oh my God. Oh. My. God!” Mimura and Kimura both spoke The Name in vain, turning away groaning and facepalming with both hands. 

“I knew I liked your old man for a reason, Kato.” Karma appreciated the deceased Kato’s prankster-like antics.

“My older half-brother is so focused on one-upping me, he has his sights so narrow for it. The second he found the primary card, he stopped looking for anything else. That’s how Yada could leave her second plastic bag without any worries of it getting taken, so long as it was not in the same line of sight as the other. That, Nakamura and Karma, was how I truly tested my dual-neurocomms system.” Kato explained the second clue’s invisibility to both friend and foe.

“So, with all that we’ve learned through the queen of spades card, that which we need to go to a casino in Macau, with it being a former outlet venue for the brilliant Jenny Tseng, thematically-named after the dead man’s hand, in particular the suit of Spades, and finally the reverse card, we realize what we’re truly looking for is a casino that has been well-affiliated with a male legendary Cantopop singer as reputable as Tseng, entities are born rather than die, and has Diamonds in the name. Why Diamonds and not Clubs or Hearts? Big Two’s highest suit is Spades, with Diamond being the lowest.” He noticed the tape-writing on the UNO reverse card again. “One casino fits that bill very well - Diamond Fenghuang Casino, where the God of Song Sam Hui blessed the establishment with hundreds of repeat performances and forever made patrons paranoid that they may miss his surprise stage appearances, forever reviving their interest in Cantopop.” He deduced.

“Diamond Fenghuang Casino, huh?” Naoko worked on Yada’s open VITaL interface and brought up the gambling facility. “Definitely got the comparable size, and kinda blends in, so it’s pretty unsuspecting. It would sure make a lot of sense for Kazuto and Norio to have done something major there underneath watchful eyes.” She confirmed.

“Not that I’m not happy that we have found another good lead, but how are you so certain that the extent of reversal is just to how we describe the casino as opposed to going to Macau at all? What if the reverse card wanted us to switch the location from Macau to whatever is on the other side of the world and we’re really looking for... I don’t know, a church? That’s the opposite of a casino, isn’t it?” Okano suggested. 

“Because the antipode of Macau on this Earth is Rinaconada, Jujuy in Argentina. The most-elevated settlement in the country, but not one my Uncle in his diary ever acknowledged. No, the closest location was Cordoba, partaking in a study of the nation’s space satellites.” Kazuhiko explained. “And not only did my uncle and aunt actually visit Macau, they used the word ‘casino’ thirty-five times in its written entry. We have a habit of beginning to use synonyms after the first ten, in case you couldn’t tell. So it’s a sign.” He tacked on.

“Well, that blows all doubt out of the water then.” Fuwa scoffed.

“Indeed. That does pose a little problem for me, though.” Kato held up an index finger. “I am not allowed to go into any casinos in Macau.” He informed everyone.

There was a beat across the room.

“WHAT?!”

“How did this happen, Kato?” Yada curiously wondered.

“After solving an oil leak crisis caused by some fanatics in Hong Kong...” He looked at the hull-mounted digital clock again. “... A decade, one year and twelve days ago, Miho, Satoshi, Walsh, and a couple others back in the day brought me to Macau to celebrate another job well done. We frequented every major casino (and I had to do my best to portray a twenty-one-year-old, thus complying with the age requirement), where one of us kept winning and winning until the Houses became fed up and called for a citywide ban on us all. Photos galore, they have been cross-referenced with the news broadcast that saw me step out of the light, and there you go. Before you say that that might not be the case, keep in mind, nothing is protected like other people’s money, or what they perceive to be their money. They will ID me the second I step foot in any of them at this point.”

The rest of Team Kazuhiko looked between each other, and then began cracking up.

“You serious right now, Kato? You’re really going to adhere to all of that?” Yukimura stared at him with absolute disbelief.

“I gave my word that I’d pay them a wide berth. And they would similarly leave me alone if I was ever in town.” He nodded.

“So that’s it?” Karma held out his hands. “You compromise your intention to see through the end of the Race of FATE because you have to obey some Gentleman’s Agreement?”

“It’s not just for my own ideals; are you going to suggest I sneak around to confront the Director-Manager of the casino? Keep in mind, that didn’t do all that well for Ning, who still had pretty strong nerves. Now consider we are about to meet up with a man who needs to sniff out conniving rats as half of his job. What do you think happens if he sniffs out a rat that is hopped up on bloodlust and wields a stylish forty-five in one hand and a sharp, piercing brain in the other?” The Chairman argued.

Maehara and Okano looked between each other before the former answered back. “Something unpredictable?”

“Like offing himself at the earliest chance, because he has no idea what I plan to do with him. He must be confident about what’s going on if we are to break him down enough to speak of what we’d like to know.” Kato asserted.

“Ah. So we’re going in your stead. Because he won’t recognize us.” Yada understood.

“Yes. Should be a walk in the park.” Kato smiled. “And of course, I’ll be on logistics from this carrier, seeing and hearing everything you do and the others you pick coming with you.” He waved to the hull of the plane.

Yada nodded back in immediate appreciation of his continued faith in her, mirroring the inverse that happened on the shores of one of Malaysia’s islands.

“Hold on, everyone.” Terasaka waved his hand in a slowing-down manner. “Since Neito and Kazuchika are none the wiser that they are missing a key half of the clue from Singapore, then they are the ones who are truly behind us again. We can trick them and throw them off the trail much like they did to us in Marseilles!”

“Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad to me. Great idea for once, Terasaka.” Nakamura elbowed his right tricep approvingly.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, though? Last time we were on the field, Team Kazuchika found out exactly what they needed to know explicitly because we were so close to the target at the location. We really wouldn’t want to allow that to happen again.” Naoko reminded and forewarned everyone.

“You’re misinterpreting a bit, Naoko.” Kimura stepped forward. “The last time, we were too close to the target and thus Team Kazuchika could figure it out rather easily. All we have to do is make sure that they don’t get anywhere near the Diamond Fenghuang.” He figured.

“Well, when you put it that way...” Maehara scanned the rest of the crew, looking for any and all further objectors.

“We’ll see it through. Let’s go small and split, to lessen the likelihood of them discerning the true threat while we monitor our old friends.” Nagisa suggested.

“You’ve always been able to hide that atypical dome of yours, Nagisa.” Nakamura pointed at him confidently. He reacted by stroking his conspicuous blue hair defensively. “So how about you take the lead for this one?”

“I won’t object. Yukimura, want to be nosy with me?” The bluehead decided to play along with the jovial vocabulary and tone. 

“It’d be my pleasure.” The greenhead smirked, then turned to the redhead. “Karma, you in?” She questioned him in kind.

“Well I’m afraid my nose can’t- Oh you mean this coming mission. Of course I’m in!” Karma quipped with a quick perverted spin on the couples banter before reaffirming his enthusiastic participation.

“Count me in. Intel-gathering will always be a major expertise of mine.” Naoko raised her hand to join the small cell.

“You’re all going to need a fixer if things go awry; I’ll be in to permit you guys a quick getaway.” Terasaka also appointed himself into the team.

“Alright, that should be good enough to roll; the city is not nearly as large and populated as Singapore.” Kato assured them, seemingly speaking up over Yada. “We are a little less than three hours away; we will be leaving the airfield the moment tires streak the strip.” He noted.

Kato turned back around to face his wife.  _ Yada, you know you’re not fully rested up just yet. _ He reminded her, knowing she would’ve jumped at getting back out there.

Yada sighed disappointingly.  _ It really sucks that I can’t always keep up with you. _ She stood up under her own power and embraced him.  _ But I’ll make sure to be 100% when my time comes. _ She confirmed with him.

_ I await it. _ He concurred.

The few hours soon passed by, and a tour bus brought them into one of the gambling capitals of the world. 

It didn’t take too long for the team to find their old pals, either, as much of the crew staked out in small dim sum restaurants (Naoko), two-floor cafes (Yukimura and Nagisa), and even amidst the demonstration squares, which was pretty brilliant because tourists and the less-interested tend to ignore their crowds (Thus Karma and Terasaka were all-clear). Only one person decided to turn this clandestine system on its head...

“Thank you for your good time, sir.” A young woman spoke to an alleged contact. She departs first, descending a boxed spiral staircase into a mid-sized lobby lined with rows of slot machines (and a column of roulette tables perpendicular and in the middle). She then found her way out of the establishment, taking one last look at it’s name - 5 SpAdes’ Casino.

Disgruntled, she made her way in paying the building a wide berth before contacting her allies.  _ Kuma. _ She identified herself.

_ Okami here. _ Okuda responded. She was situated on an apartment rooftop, with Takebayashi standing watch with his binoculars.  _ You found out anything with your latest spot? _ She questioned her colleague.

_ Got nothing; the manager made a note about not welcoming ‘Rising Sons’, as he puts it - too much heat with the rest of the mainland customers. _ Kurahashi noted, finding a spot at an outdoors dining table to briefly respite. 

_ Damn. Just like The Kicking Shovel, Cloud-Eight, and Two-Pair, Six-Shooter Casino.  _ Muramatsu, designated Moryo according to his cheat-sheet sleeve, groaned.  _ Thank God it’s not reminding me of Deathly In-the-Black Casino. _ He tacked on. 

_ Don’t worry, everyone. I’m sure our old pals are in a very similar situation as us, as Kazuto Kato probably imagined. We’ll figure this out; there’s only so many dead man’s hand-themed casinos left. _ Isogai, with an alias of Ikiryo, attempted to cheer up the current search party before they were about to become truly crestfallen.

_ We appreciate the effort, Ikiryo, but there’s one fact missing - Kato’s most certainly not going to be misinterpreting his team’s failures for trespasses against him.  _ Chiba, scoping the area through a window from one of the highest possible floors accessible of the Grand Lisboa.

_ Well... I’m sitting out after three straight infiltrations. Unless the next one is right across the block from me, I’m taking a little recess, thank you very much. _ Kurahashi deactivated her communicator behind her ear for a moment. She then took a pretty long sip from her water bottle, most definitely with a venting mood still present.

“Maybe this will help you get a leg up on the next infiltration.” A familiar voice greeted Kurahashi, setting down a bottle of MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage 2012 on the lunch table. They then took a seat across the table from him. 

The Biologist was surprised at seeing who the tone belonged to, but eventually settled down, knowing such a reveal was just par for the course. “Will it sound facetious of me to say that ‘I’m very grateful that you’re looking pretty good after getting caught?’”

“It would certainly sound so, but I know better.” Kato puffed his latest from his silver vaporizer. “Plus, a mild healing factor through 100% bodily control tends to help me look good fast.” He reminded her, as he then leaned forward with a Microtech Troodon knife held vertically up. He left it there momentarily, allowing Kurahashi to comprehensively notice it, before then moving it to the top of the wine bottle, and carving at the wax that protected the cap; that too was soon removed, so that the Chairman could seize some small rocks glasses and pour for two.

“Whatever that’s supposed to mean, you ought to know I do mean it. And I know you enough that you do know. Yada is certainly very alright, right?” The Biologist inquired as well.

“No thanks to that satyr that Neito and Kazuchika call good company.” Kato snarked.

“What?!” The strawberry-blonde requested confirmation in shock, hearing the implications of someone attempting to have their way with her best friend. She settled back down soon later. “Well... I don’t reckon Kazuchika had much to do about that.” Kurahashi spoke just audibly enough aside.

“Why do you say that?” He tilted his head.

“He’s too busy dealing with you. And the Race.” She explained, before scoffing. “I reckon by now, you realize you’re the biggest handful for more reasons than one.”

“I know - I’m a sleazebag, what can I say?” He chuckled, sliding the glass over to her, while taking a sip from his own. “I’m so petty, I want to pay you back some for sneaking up on my wife. How terrible am I...?” He rhetorically asked.

“Hm...” Kurahashi sighed, taking her own sip. “I am sorry to hear that, though. There’s many things I don’t like about this arrangement, but what you’re saying happened would be the last thing I would’ve ever agreed with.” She admitted again.

“Yeah... I bet she’ll be glad to hear that.” Kato stared her in the eyes. “Though, that does make me realize - I never offered my condolences to you.” He realized.

“Condolences? For what?” The petite woman wondered.

“For your loss.” He shook his head with masss perplexion. “Your mother. It was downright terrible what you had to witness. Nobody deserves to experience that”

Kurahashi slouched back, pain from being reminded returning to her mind. Enough that it forced her to hold the forehead. “Of course... I was doing my best to put it behind me, and focus on the task. Hoping that my best would be enough to not let my father suffer a similar fate.” She looked back to him banefully. “Thanks a lot.” She sarcastically spoke back.

“Sore subject - I’m sorry. You know I don’t quite have the silver tongue of my better half to make that sound better, if possible.” He pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter all that much if her voice just makes me sick to my stomach.” She then patted her right shoulder again, alluding to the abusive reconditioning she had received prior to their confrontation in Bangalore.

“That is a pity. Lord knows how the heartfelt reunion will go down if she cannot speak to you.” The Chairman theorized of the future.

“Got me there.” Kurahashi shrugged.

A silence engulfed them for a brief time, wherein they just continued to gaze into each other’s eyes, looking for more answers.

“Are you waiting for something?” Kazuhiko put his right knuckles on his chin.

“Nothing that hasn’t been told to me.” Kurahashi closed her eyes and shook her head.

“But you can expect, can’t you?” Kato pointed back.

Kurahashi rolled her jaw. “I imagine Kazuchika is keeping you chatty so that you might just say something that would crack the case wide open.”

“Then he’s a lot like you and the rest of AssUniv.” The Chairman grinned.

“A real charmer, you are.” The Biologist ironically spoke.

“He thinks so low of me and my father. But surely he cannot believe I’d be so dumb to divulge, could he?” Kato moved his hand so that it gripped his chin now.

“Famous last words for many a kingpin and guerilla commander that Kazuchika has contended with in the past. And you’re at least smart enough to know there’s always more to your brother’s schemes than that.” Kurahashi countered.

“Yeah, especially if you yourself engineer the situation that way, crude and cruel as it can appear. I often find it best to make an antithesis to such game plans. Or five.” He beamed.

“The Hell does that mean?” The strawberry-blonde puzzlingly looked at him.

“Let Kazuchika fill that in for you.” He nodded.

“You know from the start, I thought having this rather affable conversation was actually going to be a nice change of pace from actively trying to impede and overtake you. But it’s actually worse than doing the latter.” Kurahashi earnestly admitted.

“And why do you say that?” Kazuhiko wondered.

“It’s infuriating to realize it is just the ceasefire. The armistice - and the second one of our backs turn, the war’s back on.” She answered.

“So you wanted me to cap you with a Shock-Out round from my Clear Ice Rapide from the very beginning?” He suggested, putting his right hand behind him as if to pull out the replacement firearm to his Kimber Warrior Mk. IIIs.

“At least then I would know for certain you’re not trying to bullshit me.” Kurahashi responded with agitation, leaning forward with apprehension.

“Well, what’s worse for you? The fact that something happened in the way you knew it would and didn’t like, or it happened not in the way you expected, and it still turned bad?” The Chairman argued with a slightly raised voice, leaning forward with inquisitiveness.

Again, the Biologist held her tongue. But this time, it looked far more beyond her control. And Kazuhiko noticed it.

“Well... I think you’ve told me enough. It probably compensates for this.” Kazuhiko rose out of his chair, motioning to the table. “Keep the drink.” He noted, finally leaving the scene.

_ Is he gone, Kuma? _ A voice spoke into Kurahashi’s left ear through a small communicator attached right behind the outer flap.

_ He’s gone, Ho-O. Do not pursue; he’s not going to take us to what we’re looking for.  _ Kurahashi dismissed the implicit directive, taking another sip from her glass, and then looking at the wine bottle a little further.

Hours later, Macau was beginning to greet the golden setting sun. Kato and the rest of the cell rendezvoused at a back alley for a midsized, but highly-decorated hotel. Heading in there, they went into varying floors’ dorms of the edifice. For the Chairman, it was very obvious who was on the other side of the door.

_ Kato! _ Yada turned back and saw him at the door. Her loungewear consisting of sport shorts and a zipper hoodie, hair down, and a wash smell in the air confirmed that she had recently cleaned up and is getting ready for the casino infiltration.

_ Kurahashi asked if you were looking as good as I was after that debacle. I so wish I could tell her now that you look far more amazing now. _ The CEO smiled back.

_ Just had to remember beauty hurts. Way more than battle wounds ever could. _ She shrugged satisfyingly, before she lifted up her top to show the small of her back well-laden with kinesio tape. A second later, they both kissed for a good second. Yada broke first, looking into his eyes again.  _ Is Kurahashi still okay? _

_ Unsurprisingly so.  _ Kato assured her.

_ For you, or for us? _ She requested confirmation.

_ Both. _ Kato beamed again.

_ Well good; she’s always had a latently strong will. _ Yada sighed with significant relief.  _ Well, as you can see, I’m almost set for this evening. _ She motioned to the party outfits laid out on one of the king-sized beds.

_ You’re gonna kill it. _ He asserted.

_ Of course. Just how, is the question. _ She brought two attires up to her shoulders; one a white above-knee flared minidress with silver-to-steel sequins arranged in a burst graphic, and the other a more conservative (read “a high-low skirt from upper shin to ankle”) navy-blue tuxedo dress with black waist belt and neckline.  _ Barely compliant newbie, or secretly seasoned pro?  _ She referred to both dresses respectively.

Kato snickered at the remarks for a moment before answering.  _ Well, Naoko and Karma have experience with these events, and can only really act professionally for them. So how about you let loose for just a bit? _ He lifted the first one up encouragingly.

_ I never needed outside outlets to let loose - you’ve known that for a long time. But if you insist, okay! _ She nodded approvingly.


End file.
